Dark Paradise
by 13Nyx13
Summary: It was a popular topic that civilians liked to gossip about whenever they were short on drama. And the subject of their lingering scrutiny was always, where exactly Haruno Sakura had inherited her pink hair from...For the Haruno clan was old and proud and could keep secrets just as well as any shinobi. Retake on Naruto with a very different Sakura!
1. Prologue: Welcome to the World

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

 **Prologue: Welcome to the World**

" _You can't sell Dreams to_

 _someone who has walked_

 _through Nightmares…"_

 _-anonymous_

Haruno Mebuki rolled to her side in an attempt to gain some much needed comfort. It was a vain attempt- her swollen belly just wouldn't grant her reprieve. Her lower back positively ached, and that burning antiseptic smell that always clung to hospitals was starting to make her temples throb. But soon it would all be worth it.

The low creak of her assigned room's door opening caused her hazy blue eyes to dart open. They softened at the sight of her husband, Kizashi, trying to quietly creep in, a cup of steaming coffee clutched in hand. To someone who had been trained like she had, he was about as subtle as an elephant. But she loved him for it.

His brown eyes skirted to her and upon noticing her wakefulness, a guilty grin stretched across his lips. "Sorry to wake you, love."

Mebuki mustered up a tired smile. "You didn't. I can't sleep."

Kizashi dragged the visitor's chair closer to her hospital bed and reached out to tuck a sweaty strand of pale blonde hair behind her ear. "It won't be much longer now. A nurse just told me that they would be in to check on you soon."

Mebuki sighed, but it turned into a grimace as another sharp pain resonated through her core. They were happening more frequently now. "He can't come soon enough."

Kizashi's smile turned playful. " _She_ just wants to make a grand entrance- be fashionably late."

Mubuki's eyes rolled, but her husband's antics had worked. Excitement had replaced the discomfort.

But in that back corner of her mind the small little voice that she had spent the last nine months firmly ignoring was insistent… that maybe, just _maybe_ this baby was… _No_ , what were the chances? It couldn't be… She stared into her husband's eyes and tried for the millionth time to cast away her fears.

The door abruptly swung open, spilling copious amounts of unnaturally bright light, ending their moment. An aging nurse with a kind smile faced them.

"Well, soon to be mommy, how are you feeling?"

"Good so far."

The nurse's grin grew. "I'm just going to take a quick look and then we will see if the little one wants to get the show on the road."

Mebuki closed her eyes tried to ignore the cold press of the nurse's probing fingers. Everything would be fine…everything would work out…

Her eyes opened as the nurse straightened up. "It looks like you are about to meet the new member of your family! You're fully dilated. I'm going to go fetch Fukui- sensei."

Kizashi kissed her forehead and whispered his love into her temple. Her heart felt like it was bursting.

His lips left the moment the doctor; a stern woman who didn't waste any time, barged in.

And then Kizashi was holding her hand as waves upon waves of pain descended upon her. Mebuki was no stranger to pain. As a jounin of Konoha she had experienced almost every form of it- especially with the war. But this was a whole different kind of pain. And after what seemed like an eternity of pushing, a new set of cries joined her symphony of them.

"It's a girl," Fukui- sensei announced and Kizashi crowed triumphantly.

Mebuki had never felt more exhausted in her life- even when she had suffered from chakra exhaustion. But she managed to keep her eyes open to watch as the nurse cleaned and swaddled her daughter. And her heart sped up as the nurse finally approached, offering her the little bundle. She could feel Kizashi's nervous excitement as she reached for her daughter.

But when she had finally settled the babe in her arms and gazed down at her, she felt her heart drop. It was like time itself had stopped as her eyes took in every aspect of her newborn.

Mebuki's breath caught in her throat as her husband leaned over to get a closer look at the little bundle. And dread burned in her stomach as she felt the exact moment his excitement turned into confusion. And when she finally mustered up the courage to look into her husband's eyes all she could see reflected back was rage.

Because on the newest Haruno's tiny little head was a tuft of bright pink hair. And that sealed the newborn's fate.

 **Hello everyone, I hope you liked the prologue to my new story. Please review and let me know what you think!**

 **-Nyx**


	2. Notoriety

**Chapter 1: Notoriety**

" _I was quiet, but_

 _I was not blind."_

 _\- Jane Austen_

Haruno Sakura was a perceptive child- at least that's what they said. Granted, they said a lot of things, but at least that was one of the kinder things. And being the perceptive girl that she was, she noticed from a very young age that her family was not _normal_ \- or at least not the normal that most other civilian families looked like.

There were no good morning kisses, no outings to the park, no bedtime stories, and absolutely _no_ birthday celebrations. And nothing highlighted their peculiarity more than family gatherings.

Sakura could not remember a time when she didn't dread the obligatory holiday celebrations where all members of the Haruno clan would congregate.

Gatherings where her Uncle Akio would gaze at her with blatant calculation and slight hostility. Where her aunts, Kaori and Ran would trade side- eyed glances and not- quite whispered speculations. Where her cousins would tauntingly mimic their parent's cruel words. But _worst_ of all- having to see her grandmother, Satomi.

In her younger days, Satomi had been a noble girl, her family part of the Daimyos' court. Her long raven hair and dark eyes lured suitors to her door better than any sea-siren could. But it was Haruno Kurou, the richest silk merchant in Fire Country that finally won her hand. And despite losing her noble title with marriage, Satomi had never lost her sharp arrogance, strict disposition, or obsession with bloodlines.

Sakura was two years old when she first heard the term ' _mongrel_ ' and it was term that her grandmother had forever since referred to her as.

It was why the little girl always dreaded festival season. She hated looking into her grandmother's dark eyes and recognizing the revulsion staring back. Or worse- seeing the old woman flinch away from her- like she was a diseased mutt, not even worthy of table scraps.

No, Haruno Sakura's family was _not_ normal. But for all of their distrust, dysfunction, and disgust, the world would never know of it. Because the Haruno clan was nothing if not proud. And to the world, the Harunos were a small, but rich civilian clan- wealthy and reserved.

But despite the Haruno's best efforts, the civilian district _loved_ to gossip. Since the day she was brought home from the hospital it was widely speculated about how the newest Haruno didn't share the midnight black hair that was predominate in her clan…

Kizashi would laughingly tell the customers in his silk shop that his daughter's pink hair was a strange, but beautiful genetic abnormality. But as the cloudy blue of her infant's eyes slowly changed to vibrant green and not Haruno brown, his laughter had dried up. And Kizashi could never quite hide his disdain when he looked at his daughter.

It was the reason why no matter how hard Sakura tried, how well she behaved, how smart she was, the Harunos would never accept her. She was a manifestation of shame, and like all sordid secrets, Sakura was not to be seen or heard.

Sometimes Sakura suspected that her mother tried to shield her from the worst of the family's harassment. But her mother could not fully prevent it when she was too busy dodging accusations herself. At times she wished her mother were a little bit stronger- most of the time, she, like her family just wished for the truth. Because Sakura didn't have to be an adult to know that her mother was hiding something important.

But if Haruno Mebuki excelled in one thing, it was keeping secrets. So Sakura knew that her mother dreaded family gatherings just as much as she did. Because while Sakura had to endure the family's repulsion, her mother had to answer to it.

Sakura knew that once upon a time her mother had been a strong woman. Before Sakura was born she was even a kunoichi of Konoha. But her backbone of steel had slowly wilted away until she was just this husk of a woman. An empty shell that kept secrets buried deep within and warded off vitriol questions and venomous stares with empty blue eyes.

It had been this way for as long as she could remember.

When Sakura was very little she remembered her mother brushing her long pink hair and singing stories about great shinobi legends. Her young mind's eye would imagine the great White Fang and his pack of nin- dogs taking out enemy shinobi, or the Yellow Flash facing off against the nine-tailed fox. And in these imaginings she would be right beside them, defeating any and all foes.

But those days where swiftly cut to an end when her father came home early from his shop one day and heard her mother serenading shinobi as heroes. Sakura could still feel the bite of her father's fingers as he practically threw her from the room before proceeding to scream at her mother about flaunting her indignity.

After that fight her mother kept mostly holed up in her bedroom and all talk of shinobi _ended_. And as for her father, he spent most of his time his branch of the family's silk shop. Sakura preferred it that way.

After that fight she no longer was allowed to play 'kunoichi' in the backyard and her mother's secret stash of nin- weapons disappeared from the cupboard they were hiding in.

After that fight her father kept her just as cooped up as her mother, vainly hoping the whispers would die down.

And for the most part the isolation did not bother her. Though the little girl longed for a friend, she made due with the books in her father's library. It was through books that she made the friendships, experienced the adventures, lived the freedoms that she yearned to have outside of her bedroom.

It was also through books that she gained a vast amount of knowledge. Random facts, interesting folktales, and the history of noble clans in Konoha were all imprinted on the little girl's mind. For once she read something, it stayed tucked away in her brain forever.

It was on a stormy Saturday when she was five years old and searching through the dictionary that Sakura finally discovered what her grandmother's favorite nickname for her meant:

' _Mongrel: a person of mixed descent.'_

And because the neighbors' gossip never reached her little ears, it was a term she had trouble reconciling with herself. So, like most small children, she decided to ask her mother.

Sakura rarely bothered her parents. The two adults of her household always seemed to be too engaged in their own personal dilemmas that they rarely had time to engage their precocious daughter. And Her mother always seemed to be withdrawn and tired, while her father's ever-present foul mood was never a pleasant experience.

But occasionally one of the many questions bubbling in her mind would spill over her lips. And asking her mother was always the safer option.

So she closed the dictionary and crept downstairs to her mother's bedroom where she knew she would be was resting. And despite being quiet as a mouse, her mother always knew when she was hovering outside her door.

"Sakura, what is it dear?" Mebuki asked, watching as her daughter slipped inside the doorway.

"Why am I a mongrel?" Sakura questioned from the end of the bed, watching as her mother wrenched herself upright with a gasp.

"Where did you hear that?"

Sakura frowned, "Grandmother calls me it all the time."

Mebuki gestured for her daughter to join her atop the mounds of blankets. And once Sakura was perched atop her bedspread (an uncommon occurrence), she finally spoke, "You are not a mongrel. You are my little flower and I love you so much."

But despite her mother's words Sakura couldn't help but be confused at the conflicting information. "Than why does everyone hate me? Why does _father_ hate me?"

While Mebuki embraced her in a quick hug, Sakura's mind was swirling with even more confusion. But it was a rare occurrence that her mother was affectionate, so she basked in her warm embrace.

"It's not you're fault. They don't _hate_ you," Mebuki answered.

And Sakura desperately wanted to believe her mother- but the piercing look in her grandmother's eyes, the coldness from the rest of the clan, and worst of all- the absence of her father was rather contradictory evidence.

She pulled herself out of her mother's too-thin arms. "You never answered my question- why does grandmother call me _mongrel_? I'm a _Haruno_."

"Because you are _not_ a Haruno," the chilling voice of her father answered from the doorway.

Sakura whirled around in panic to face the man in the doorway. And at the sight of her father's furious face trained on her, adrenalin hummed through her veins.

"Sakura, go to your room," her mother ordered, her blue eyes never straying from her father.

"No, let her stay Mebuki. Let the girl really know why the clan will never accept her. Tell her what you did," Kizashi responded, his voice barely above a whisper as he moved towards the pair.

Sakura could feel her mother tense beside her, but didn't dare move a muscle herself.

" _Kizashi_ ," Mebuki said, and for the first time Sakura heard her mother's voice ring out like a warning against her father.

Her father's brown eyes narrowed as he stood at the end of the bed. "She is old enough to ask questions, then give her the damn answers! Tell the little bastard what she wants to know!"

Sakura felt her throat uncomfortably tighten. She wanted to gasp, but her father's eyes- so similar to a snake about to strike, cautioned her from bringing even more attention to herself. It was oh so difficult though, because she may not have known what mongrel had meant, but she sure knew what bastard did.

Her eyes darted away from her father's furious brown to her mother's soft blue and saw the horror swimming in them.

Sakura's green eyes looked to her father imploringly, "But I'm your daughter!"

" _You are no child of mine_ ," Kizashi practically hissed.

Her stomach muscles tightened and bile burned up her throat at the revelation… but he couldn't be right… couldn't be telling the truth… couldn't… wrong… _but the clan_ … the distrust… the stinging heckles… _mongrel_ …

"I don't- I don't understand," Sakura stuttered. She was uncomfortably aware of how tightly her mother's frail hands were gripping her- the bones practically grinding into her own.

Her father switched his gaze from her to her mother. "You are the disgusting product of your mother's hedonistic shinobi lifestyle. You are _unworthy_ of the name that I was beguiled to into giving you. You are a little magpie that snuck into the nest and is destroying the rest of the chicks. "

"She is just a child," Mebuki's normally soft- spoken voice firmly stated.

"Yes, but she is not _my_ child."

Kizashi let out a harsh humorless laugh. "Before we were married I thought the sun and stars shone for you. I ignored my family's warnings about you being a kunoichi and not a proper lady because I was so enamored. I would have forgiven you for _anything_."

Sakura could feel her mother's diaphragm harshly retracting as she sucked in panicked breaths. She could feel the tremble of her mother's fingers where they clenched around her side. She could even feel her cool breath against her neck. But none of her mother's bodily reactions could compare to her own paralyzed shock as she listened to her father bitterly rant.

"Shinobi, Konoha's pride and joy- the men and women that bring prosperity to the village and protect it from enemies even as great as the kyuubi. I was completely bewitched by you- the feeble orphan that transformed into herself into a deadly and mysterious kunoichi. A woman so brave that she fought in the Great War. But I did not think when I married you that I was inviting a viper into my home."

Sakura trembled and waited on baited breath for her mother to respond. Her father's face had gone splotchy red in rage and his eyes were fixed on his wife- almost as if he was daring her to respond. But Mebuki remained silent. And Sakura felt as though her parents had had this argument several times before. But never when she was present.

After a tense few moments, Kizashi breathed in deeply, the red starting to fade from his tan cheeks. "I don't know why I thought someone in a profession that is dedicated to deceiving could be trusted as my wife. You are nothing but a _whore_."

Sakura felt her mother's sharp intake of breath, and her composure snapped. "My mother is not a bad person! She helped _save_ our village. You are the one deceiving everyone into thinking that you love us! I wonder what everyone would think about you if they knew I wasn't a Haruno!"

Sakura heard the slap before she felt it. The back of her father's hand brutally connected to her fragile cheek, knocking her right off the bed. She didn't even hear her mother's scream, her ears were wringing from the impact.

But as she lay face down on her mother's carpet, black spots dancing in her vision, jaw beginning to burn, she felt her resolve harden. Her father was _wrong_. And as she slowly peeled herself off the floor, she was even more shocked to take in the sight of her mother's bony fingers wrapped around her father's thick throat.

" _Don't you dare touch her_ ," Mebuki threatened in a tone that Sakura had never heard her use before.

The hatred in her father's eyes could have incinerated her on the spot. He batted his wife's hand off his jugular. "Don't forget, I let you and your bastard stay here out of my own kindness."

"You let us stay because you know the damage it would cause to you and your clan's precious reputation if the truth came out!" Mebuki furiously argued.

"You're right," Kizashi slowly said, his tone haunting. "We would be social pariahs. But _you_ … you would be locked away if the Hokage discovered what you did. And as for her-" he gestured to Sakura, "she would be picked apart with a fine tooth comb. A verifiable lab rat."

Mebuki's anger flushed face whitened dramatically. "Kizashi-"

"So I know that you won't be telling a soul," Kizashi smirked cruelly before turning to Sakura, "and neither will you. You cannot even begin to comprehend the consequences the truth would wrought on your mother."

Sakura struggled to swallow back her anger, but grudgingly managed to. She slowly nodded her consent.

Kizashi gave the pair another hard look before huffing loudly and leaving the room.

A moment of silence that shouldn't have felt tense, but somehow managed to be both awkward and unsettling followed his departure.

Sakura cast a look at her mother out of the side of her eye and found that her mother was still staring at the spot where her 'father' had just finished threatening the two.

"Mom?" she tentatively queried.

The normally absentness of her mother's cornflower blue eyes was now clouded with both worry and sorrow. "I'm sorry you had to hear that flower." She reached over and her cold fingers were soothing as they brushed against Sakura's throbbing cheek. "I'm sorry he hit you."

Sakura ignored the pain and pursed her lips, wondering if she was daring enough to ask the question that was sitting on the tip of her tongue. After a moment, her mind finally settled. She figured that if her parents had already shared this much forbidden information, what was one more harmless question.

"If dad isn't my real father…than who is?"

Her mother's gentle touch retracted from her cheek as if it had been burned. The sorrow faded from her eyes and fear flashed though them. If Sakura hadn't been studying her mother so intently than she would have missed it.

" _Never_ ask me that," Mebuki said, her tone glacial.

Sakura drew back, but when she saw the ice in her mother's eyes not soften, disappointment overwhelmed her. Tail figuratively tucked between her legs, she slunk out of her mother's bedroom. But she did not make a turn towards the staircase; no Sakura kept walking until she was out the front door and into the pouring rain.

She walked past the winding gardens and koi pond. She walked past the Haruno property line. She walked past the road that she had barely been allowed to step foot on in the past, let alone tromped down alone. She kept walking until her clothing was soaked through to the bone.

She felt as cold in body as she did in spirit. Haruno Sakura walked until her little toes felt heavy and numb.

It was only when she spotted a bench near the village gates did she finally stop and slump her tiny figure down. The rain continued pouring- so thick that it was hard to see anything. So heavy that it mixed with the hot tears running down her cheeks. But still Sakura sat, her mind racing.

She had always known that her clan didn't exactly approve of her. Their biting words and disdainful stares had always stung. But it had always been like this- so Sakura had never fully questioned _why her_? She had simply learned to keep her mouth firmly shut and presence as unobtrusive as possible when near. But now, it all made sense… _And yet_ it was more confusing than ever.

Sakura's musings were cut short as a hand clamped down on her shoulder. She looked up to see a very pretty woman with short dark hair plastered to her wet face.

"Are you lost?" the woman asked, having to shout to be heard over the rain.

Sakura's green eyes scanned the woman apprehensively as she digested the question. It only just occurred to her that she was indeed lost. Spotting the forehead protector (with the same symbol as the one her mother had kept hidden in her cupboard) wrapped around the woman's neck, her apprehension cleared. She slowly nodded to the woman.

The woman's pale face broke out in a small smile, "Well, lets get you home. You don't want to catch a cold!"

Home- that didn't sound so appealing right now… But what other choice did she have? Its not like she had any other family to run off to. If this were a fairytale than either a fairy godmother or woodland creature would take her in. But the events of the afternoon made it blatantly clear to the young girl that her life was not a fairytale. And since she had no other choice, Sakura grasped the woman's hand and slipped off the cold bench.

"What is your name and who are your parents?" the woman asked.

Sakura chewed her lip for a moment before answering, "Haruno Sakura. My parents are Kizashi and Mebuki,"

"Ah- a civilian than. The silk merchant's daughter, right?"

Sakura nodded. She may be confused and upset with her mother, but she took her warnings to heart. She may not be a Haruno by blood, but to the world she was. So she clutched the kunoichi's hand and followed her through the winding streets back to her house.

Just as Sakura spotted the hill that would lead her up to her parent's house the nin pulled her to a stop. Sakura frowned as the woman crouched down to look at her.

The woman's dark eyes scanned her face, fixating on her jaw. "That's quite the bruise you have little one."

Young wary eyes stayed silent as Sakura studied the nin.

The woman seemed to sense that Sakura wasn't going to speak, "Let me take care of that."

Sakura couldn't help the reflexive flinch as the kunoichi raised her hand to her tender cheek. But her wariness was replaced by intrigue as the woman's hand glowed light green and a soothing warmth seemed to sink into her sensitive cheek.

After the glow diminished the nin patted her cheek, "There you go, all better."

"Thank you shinobi-san," Sakura politely responded, awe leaking into her voice.

The woman straightened up and offered a warm smile. "Well I couldn't have just left you there. Now inside with you. You'll catch your death out here. And then my work will be for nothing."

Sakura nodded, but remained rooted on the spot as she watched the woman leap up to the nearest rooftop. It was only when the rain washed away her view did the little girl finally trudge up the hill and slip through the heavy front door, praying that her _father_ wouldn't notice the mud she was dragging through.

The entryway was silent. Sakura spared her mother's bedroom a speculative look, but didn't dare approach. Instead she crept up the staircase and darted in her room. After a moment of tense hesitation, Sakura let out a relived sigh. Neither parent barged in demanding to know where she had been. The thought should have been more upsetting, but Sakura had too much on her mind.

As she stripped out of her wet clothing and toweled off, she thought about the kunoichi. The woman was beautiful, strong, and selfless. She helped her even though she didn't have to. She helped her even when she received nothing in return. And as Sakura approached the mirror and studied her face intently she realized that the glowing light the woman produced even healed her aching bruise.

And it was in that moment that the little girl felt a resolve harden within her. She wanted to be like that woman- she wanted to help others, to be useful and brave and everything her family said she wasn't. She wanted to be strong and help her village. She wanted to be one of the heroes parents regaled their children with. She wanted to be a _shinobi_.

 **Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I know Sakura's thoughts/language may be a little sophisticated for a five year old, but in Naruto they let some kids join their military at six… And Sakura was always a genius with** **knowledge.**

 **Anyways, please review and let me know your thoughts on the chapter. And if you are celebrating, have a happy holiday!**

 **-Nyx**


	3. Disquiet

**Chapter 2: Disquiet**

" _If you wish to be a warrior_

 _prepare to get broken, if you_

 _wish to be an explorer prepare_

 _to get lost and if you wish to_

 _be a lover prepare to be both."_

 _-Daniel Saint_

For the next three weeks Sakura found every scrap of information that she could about shinobi. She scoured her father's library; reading every tomb that even hinted it might contain knowledge about the ninja arts. No figurative stone in the household was left unturned under her prying eyes.

Sakura also assigned herself her first unofficial mission. She was going to find wherever her mother had hid her kunoichi possessions. Because if her mother had kept them for so long after retiring, than surely she still held onto them somewhere? But as vigilant as Sakura was in searching about for these trinkets, she couldn't find any… Not a single kunai, no forehead protector, no special scrolls… And after their last family chat, the little girl didn't dare bring her fascination up to her mother.

But because the young girl was so focus on her shinobi fact- finding mission/ weapon hunt, she failed to realize the days were creeping closer to spring. And springtime meant festival season. And festivals meant… _family._

So it was with great (but much concealed) horror that Sakura heard her grandmother's dulcet tones coming from her family's entryway one Friday morning. The proper thing would have been to go to the foyer and greet her elder. But instead Sakura slunk back upstairs and quietly, but firmly shut her bedroom door.

It was a rude gesture that went against everything a good host should do, but Sakura also knew that her grandmother would find some way to criticize her no matter how polite she was. So until her mother came upstairs and forced her to greet the ornery woman, she was determined to stay holed up in her room. And the fact that she had found a book on chakra hidden away in the kitchen of all places only furthered her resolve.

Sakura tucked herself into her desk by the window and cracked open the heavy tome. Minutes that soon bleed into hours passed by, but her viridian eyes still diligently remained on the text, only pausing to jot down notes of interest. She was intrigued by the thought that every living thing, including non-sentient ones contained spiritual energy. But she was beyond fascinated by the knowledge that people could harness their chakra and use it for various different things.

The book didn't out rightly state anything about shinobi, but Sakura could put the dots together, especially after the nice nin- woman's demonstration. And her mind latched onto the fact that if she were a shinobi, she too would be able to manipulate her chakra…she could be one of the legends forging a bright future for her village…

And Sakura's wild fantasies took a hold of her until a sharp voice interrupted her thoughts.

"This is a descent size room _mongrel_. You're lucky my son isn't making you sleep outside in the garden shed where you belong."

Sakura stiffened at hearing her grandmother's cold voice. She swallowed back the scowl that was threatening to emerge- it would only give her more ammunition. Because Grandmother Satomi was like a snake, and her wrathful diatribes would only become more biting if she knew her words had an effect.

" _Grandmother_ \- I did not hear your arrival. I apologize for not greeting you at the door," Sakura lied.

Satomi's harsh mouth curled into a sneer, "Don't you dare call me that you filthy child! Kizashi told me that you now know the truth! I'm not letting you continue the farce!"

Sakura bit down on her lip, feeling her teeth tear through the plump flesh. Previously she had always known how to act around her unfriendly grandmother. She would stay quiet and attempt to ignore the harsh insults. Rarely did her grandmother actually address her directly. So Sakura floundered at the change.

"What would you prefer me to call you?" she tentatively asked after a tense moment.

Satomi's dark eyes narrowed. "You will not address me at all. You do not have that privilege. Do not forget girl that you are not a member of this family, and if it weren't for your blasted mother, you would not have a place in this house."

"-Mother, _there_ you are!" Kizashi said, his flushed face appearing behind Satomi. He gently took his mother's arm and steered her out of Sakura's room, their voices trailing off, "I think Ran wanted to ask you about which kimono you'll be wearing to the festival tomorrow…"

Sakura could feel the moisture pooling behind her eyes. She hadn't cried since that night in the rain, but she constantly felt like she was on the verge of it. Every time she would look to her mother and see those blue eyes diligently avoid her own, or worse, look to Kizashi and see that he didn't even bother to hide his distaste for her anymore, her eyes would swell up. But she always held the tears at bay. And Sakura knew Grandmother Satomi would probably be overjoyed knowing she put her in tears, so she ignored the tightness of her throat and stinging in her eyes.

"Sakura?" her mother's soft voice called from just outside the doorway.

Carefully closing the chakra tome, she turned to face her mother. "Yes?"

"It's dinner time, you should come downstairs," Mebuki quietly said, entering her daughter's room.

"I didn't think I was welcome," Sakura said, confusion colouring her tone. She watched in surprise as her mother's fist clenched.

"Oh course you are flower," Mebuki gently insisted.

"But Grandmother just said-"

"Your grandmother is a very old woman, with very outdated ideals. So as always, ignore what she says and be polite."

Unease churned in Sakura's gut. She didn't know why exactly her mother was insisting she join the Harunos for dinner. The family made it more than clear that she was not invited. And Sakura was only too happy to stay far out of their way.

Mebuki walked further into the room and watched the emotions swirl through her daughter's luminous eyes. She crouched down in front of the girl. "If you don't go downstairs and show them that you are not bothered by their cruel words than they will think they got the best of you. And from now on they will walk all over you. You may not be a Haruno, but you are a strong girl Sakura. Don't ever let them take that away from you."

"Than why did you?" Sakura asked, confusion muddling her thoughts. Ever since she was old enough to realize how peculiar her mother's behavior was and how terrible the clan was to her, she had always wondered why.

Mebuki offered a sad smile, looking much older than her young age. "It's a long story, flower. Maybe one day I'll tell you… Now lets get downstairs before one of your cousins is sent up to fetch us."

So Sakura reluctantly followed her mother downstairs. And she wasn't even ashamed to admit that she hid behind her mother's skirts when they entered the dining room. Conversation didn't exactly die off as they entered the room, but Sakura could feel the eyes on her. She sat down in a chair beside her mother and kept her head down, pink hair acting as a shield.

Conversation came to a halt as dinner was served and prayers were murmured to the old world deities. But soon after, the chatter started to pick up again, and Sakura tried to eat her food as quickly as she could, while remaining polite.

"So, Takumi, which branch of the family business are you planning on apprenticing at after graduation?" Satomi asked one of Sakura's older cousins.

Takumi swallowed his food before pasting on a shark like grin. "I was actually hoping I could apprentice with Uncle Kizashi. Seeing as he has no children of his own, he will need someone to help him with the business." He shot Sakura a triumphant look, but she knew better than to rise to the bait.

Satomi's smile was a terrifying sight, but the words that followed it, caused the composure the five- year- old had to snap.

"Well this solves the problem we were discussing earlier! Kizashi didn't know whom he would endow his silk branch to, what with only having the little mongrel around. And Kami knows she isn't even fit to sweep the floors. Talk about no future-"

"I do have a future," Sakura quietly, but firmly insisted.

And when Satomi's smile widened instead of falling, Sakura knew that she had made a mistake. "I beg your pardon?"

But Sakura continued on, ignoring her father's glare and mother's sigh. "I said I do have a future. I am going to be a shinobi."

The silence following her statement could have allowed them to hear a pin drop.

The tense moment was only broken when Uncle Akio let out a harsh laugh. "Like mother, like daughter I suppose."

Uncomfortable with the attention, but not wanting to let it show, Sakura reached for her water glass. But when her father's large hand clamped down on her arm, she couldn't help but allow a gasp to escape her mouth.

"No one living under this roof- under _my_ rules is going to become a _ninja_ ," he spat the word out as if it were a curse. "Your mother agreed to this, and I will not have one of those assassins growing up in my house! Learning all sorts-"

"-No, Kizashi," Satomi said, interrupting his rant. She wore a peculiar sort of smile- small and crooked and _triumphant_. "Let the girl become a ninja. Let her serve on the front lines. It will keep her out of the house, and who knows, maybe she won't even come home…"

Silence once again followed her statement, but Sakura couldn't quite grasp all of the implications of her grandmother's statement. But judging by the white-knuckled grip her mother had on her cutlery, _she_ did. But as always, Mebuki remained silent.

"Akio, register Sakura at the ninja academy in the morning. She turns six in a couple of weeks and can go there instead of regular school," Satomi said, her dark eyes not straying from Sakura.

Sakura obediently dropped her gaze- a tactical retreat of sorts, seeing as she had just gotten what she wanted. Even if she didn't fully understand the ramifications the adults in her family joyfully discussed, she was on her way to becoming a shinobi. And that was all that really mattered.

For the rest of the dinner Sakura dutifully and with much more ease than usual endured her cousins' taunting, aunts' harsh criticisms, and Grandmother Satomi's doleful stares.

And the next morning Sakura snuck out of her bedroom early and watched as her Uncle Akio trudged out the door and off in the direction of the Shinobi Academy. Her heart soared at the thought.

But so lost in thought, she jumped when her aunt's voice called out, "What are you doing lurking about girl?" Aunt Kaori barked.

Guilty green eyes took in the scowling face of her Uncle Akio's wife. "I was heading to the bathroom to wash up before the festival."

Kaori pouted her thin lips, but did not comment on whether or not she bought her lie. "Make sure you scrub extra hard you little freak. You may not be a Haruno, but the village thinks you are, and I won't have you being a poor representation."

Sakura lowered her head and nodded, stealing one last glance out the window as she headed to the bathroom.

The privacy of the shower allowed the little girl to collect her thoughts. She was elated that her dream was closer to coming true, worried at her mother's silence, and annoyed, yet excited to be leaving the house for the spring festival.

Festivals were the only time Sakura was allowed to leave the house. She, along with the rest of the clan would head down to the village centre to participate in festival activities. They always dressed in the finest silk kimonos (to flaunt their wealth) and ate exquisite food. It was also a time of great wonder, as the young girl got to take in the sights of her beautiful village, but the trips always managed to be spoiled one way or another by one of her family members.

But this year the little girl felt like she was on cloud nine as she let her mother wrap an exquisite ocean blue kimono around her small frame. She hummed as her mother intricately braided her pink locks and watched in fascination as her mother donned her own sunny yellow kimono. She also managed to tune out her aunts' tutting about the money wasted on the two.

Sakura stayed close to her mother's side as they left the Haruno household with the rest of the family members, ignoring the craned necks and gawking faces of her neighbors. It always used to seem strange to her why the villagers would gaze at her with such fascinated looks, but now she understood their intrigue. It wasn't the pink hair that drew their curiosity- it was the reason behind it.

As they drew closer to the village centre, she took in the beautiful sights of the flora, ribbons, and banners everywhere. Her green eyes darted to and fro, trying to register everything. But her perusal stopped when her eyes landed on someone who was staring right back- a boy that looked to be around her age, with bright blonde hair and an orange jumpsuit.

Sakura slowed her pace and watched as the little boy, partially hidden behind a merchant's cart, hesitantly curled his oddly whiskered cheeks into a smile. Sakura studied the boy for another moment; taking in his ripped collar, dirty nose and lack of parents. He was probably an orphan- the war had produced a lot of those. She smiled back. The boy's grin grew larger.

"Sakura!" Aunt Ran quietly hissed.

Her head whipped around to stare at her aunt. And upon noticing the threatening look in her dark eyes, she hurried her pace and didn't look towards the boy again.

The rest of the day actually passed relatively well. Sakura stuck close to her mother and observed the scenery. But she paid extra attention to the children milling about- some from noble clans, but many civilian. And the vast majority ran around with brilliant smiles lit on their faces. They looked so carefree, and Sakura felt a peculiar sort of pang in her chest. She couldn't remember ever being like that.

Her cousins were given pocket money to go play the various games or buy trinkets and sweets the different vendor carts offered. Sakura was offered no such indulgence, but she knew better than to expect it. And her mother's ever- present austerity radiating from beside her helped cure any overwhelming bouts of silly childlikeness she felt.

Only once when a woman with dark hair and eyes- a woman that she could have mistaken for a Haruno clanswoman if she didn't know better approached did Mebuki shake her sorrow. Usually when in public her mother wore a flawless smile, and blank eyes. But as this woman approached, Sakura caught the flash of fear cross her mother's face.

" _Mebuki_ , is that you?" the woman asked, her kind smile widening as she took in her mother.

Sakura bit her lip and watched as her mother's smile broke for a split second, before picking up again. "Indeed it is. It is nice to see you again Mikoto-san."

"Always so formal," Mikoto laughed, before embracing her mother in a quick hug. "Even in front of old teammates!"

Sakura's attention perked and she intently watched as her mother's back stiffened. She curiously searched her father out in the crowd, wondering what his response would be. But when Sakura couldn't find her father, her green eyes quickly darted back to the woman. The woman who could only be a kunoichi.

She watched as a small boy with spiky black hair tugged on the woman's lovely black kimono. " _Mom_ ," he drew the syllable out, trying to catch her attention. His mother ignored him, as she chatted in low tones to her mother.

The boy's cherubic face pouted before he noticed her appraisal of him. His pout disappeared and an embarrassed flush broke out on his pale face at getting caught whining.

"Mebuki-san this is my youngest son, Sasuke."

Sakura watched as her mother sent him a large but fragile smile. It didn't escape her notice how her mother failed to introduce her. And for the first time it occurred to the little girl that maybe she wasn't just a disgrace to her father. Maybe her mother was just as ashamed of her…

The lack of introduction apparently didn't escape Mikoto's notice either, as the woman's dark eyes lit up as they landed on her. "And this must be your daughter! My, she has such beautiful hair!"

Mebuki's smile dropped as she offered the expected introduction, "This is my daughter, Sakura."

Sakura could feel her grandmother's wrathful eyes watching her, so she bowed politely, but kept silent. Mikoto's eyes were also trained on her, and while Sakura was fascinated with shinobi, she knew the woman's attention was a threat to her family's secret. A threat to her _mother's_ wellbeing. So she switched her own eyes from the beautiful woman to her son.

Sasuke smiled shyly at her, a smile that she didn't dare return.

"-Mebuki, Sakura," Kizashi said, catching the little groups' attention. "Satomi- sama is tired and wishes to retire. We must be leaving."

Mebuki nodded, but before she could turn away, Mikoto grabbed her arm. "If you need _anything_ , anything at all, please let me know."

Sakura watched her mother's normally blank face crumble for a moment, before her father once again called their names.

"Goodbye, Mikoto," Mebuki said before grabbing Sakura's hand and rushing them off towards her father.

Sakura should have known the day was going to well to last. For the moment she stepped in the compound, all hell broke loose.

Her father grabbed her mother and dragged her down to the basement, door slamming ominously behind them.

Sakura made to follow the pair, but her grandmother's hand caught her arm in a vice grip. "Don't even think about it mongrel. Your father needs to remind that wretched woman of her place!"

Her grandmother cast her off to her room, but Sakura couldn't help but feel uneasy. She strained to hear any hint of her mother's voice. But all she could hear was the sound of her extended family chattering one floor below. And somehow Sakura knew that her mother was in pain.

It wasn't until late in the night when her family has retired to their guest rooms did she hear her mother's bedroom door quietly open and close. Her father's stout footsteps echoed as they ascended the stairs.

When her own bedroom door opened, she quickly closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. Knots tightened in her stomach as her father approached her bed. She tried not to let her distress show on her face, as she felt one large finger move a strand of hair from her face.

"If only you were mine," he father lowly murmured, before leaving.

The next day Sakura barely noticed as her extended family left the house, jeering their last insults at her. No, her eyes were too busy taking in the way her mother slowly limped around the house. Or how her normally blank blue eyes looked almost dead. Or how her father gazed at her with equal parts sorrow and revulsion.

This cycle repeated itself for the next month. Every time her father had a bad day at the shop, or drank an extra glass of sake or glimpsed at the registration sheet for the Shinobi Academy, he would drag her mother down to the basement.

And Sakura so badly wanted to creep down those stairs and see what they were saying- what they were doing. But she knew how terrible the consequences would be- so instead she waited on baited breath, hoping to hear anything to hint at what occurred down in the musty cellar. And every time this happens she would stay up late into the night, waiting to hear her mother return to her room. And every time her father comes to her room and brokenly apologizes to what he thinks is a sleeping child.

Most of the time Sakura desperately wanted to understand what this new change in their routine meant. She even searched through books to understand. And when she felt particularly brave, she even hinted to her mother her curiosity. But a small part of her is glad that she does not know. Relieved that no books shed light on this new peculiar behavior and her mother's lips remain tight.

Because deep down Sakura thinks she knows exactly what happens down in the dark. And deep down she hates that she is not strong enough to do anything to stop it.

 **Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Things are actually progressing a little darker than I planned, but thats where the muse took me! I hope you liked the brief glimpse we got of Naruto and Sasuke!**

 **Please review and let me know your thoughts on the chapter!**

 **-Nyx**


	4. Intent

**Chapter 3: Intent**

" _The only thing standing_

 _between you and your goal_

 _is the bullshit story you_

 _keep telling yourself as to_

 _why you can't achieve it."_

 _\- The Wolf of Wall Street_

The morning of her sixth birthday, Sakura woke in her bed with a little smile on her face. Her father hadn't visited her room in over a week (choosing to stay at his shop late into the night) and of course she was now old enough to attend the Shinobi Academy.

She lazed in her cozy bed a little bed longer than normal, picturing herself wearing the Konoha forehead protector and wielding kunai against faceless foes. But eventually her hunger announced it's presence through persistent rumblings, so she reluctantly rose.

The house was quiet as she tiptoed downstairs. Her mother was more than likely still in bed and Sakura knew that her father would have left for the store hours ago. So she helped herself to some fruit and the staler bits of bread.

It was an uncharacteristically sunny day for May, and with no one around to tell her off, Sakura snatched her large tome about chakra, along with her notepad and made for the garden. If she kept close to the koi pond, the bamboo would hide her from any curious eyes.

Hours passed and the little girl sunned herself like a fat house cat amidst the newly blossomed plants, as her mind devoured the words on rapidly decreasing pages. When her hand started cramping, she dropped her pencil and shifted onto her back, closing her eyes against the bright sun. Taking a deep breath, Sakura searched within herself, trying to feel her own chakra.

…

…

And _nothing._

Huffing in slight frustration, she opened her eyes, squinting against the sunlight. She rolled to her feet, sitting in the classic mediation pose that the book illustrated. Once again, Sakura inhaled deeply, but this time she held the breath for a moment before slowly exhaling. And repeated the process a few more times until she felt like she could fall asleep… and that's when she felt it. A gentle sort of humming that came from the very core of herself and spread itself out into a million strings that reached from the tips of her ears to the ends of her toes. Some of the strings were thick and bright, others were thin and small, and strangely enough there was a large cluster right at her throat.

She could feel the gentle humming of her small, but strong spiritual energy thrumming within. But when the small girl tried to tug on the biggest, brightest string, she felt a wave of fatigue hit her. Withdrawing from her short meditation, Sakura heard the uncharacteristic sound of her mother yelling for her.

"-SAKURA!" Mebuki shouted, not bothering to be mindful of the neighbors. She sprinted into the garden and turned sharply at the koi pond, stopping short when she spotted her daughter sitting calmingly next to her old book on chakra and a small notepad.

Sakura cocked her head at her panting mother, "Yes?"

"What in Kami's name are you doing out here? I felt your chakra fluctuate and panicked!" her mother answered, voice sounding uncharacteristically firm.

The little girl shrugged. "I finished my book and thought I would experiment in trying to feel my own chakra." Her green eyes suddenly shone with excitement, "Have you always been able to feel _my_ chakra, mother?"

Mebuki ignored the question, "Come inside, you'll burn out here."

Sakura struggled to bite her tongue at her mother's avoidance. But once she settled down at the kitchen table, she was determined to get some answers. And as she watched her mother bustle about the kitchen, making tea, she thought that perhaps her mother was ready to answer some. But before she could open her mouth to ask anything, her mother beat her to it.

"It is dangerous to manipulate your chakra without any guidance or supervision. Do _not_ do it again." She slid one of the teacups across the table, "Happy Birthday flower."

And before Sakura even had to chance to open her mouth, Mebuki delicately picked up the other cup and left the room.

Sakura slumped down in her chair feeling dejected. The questions sitting on the tip of her tongue, floated to the back of her mind, as she grasped the cup of jasmine tea and took a small sip. The slightly expensive tea was the only thing anyone would offer her in terms of a birthday celebration.

Draining the cup of fragrant tea, she reminded herself that at least now she was old enough to start at the Shinobi Academy. And that was the best and most unlikely gift that she had ever been offered.

Until Sakura was four, she had always thought that birthdays were just like any other day of the year. A normal day, made slightly special by the cup of jasmine tea her mother would make her, or occasionally the pretty braid that would be wound in her hair. It wasn't until she was reading a fairytale book, where the beautiful princess had a ball to honor her birthday, did Sakura even ponder that birthdays were a cause for celebration. But the girl _was_ a princess after all, so she didn't take much stock of it.

But when Sakura was four years old, her Aunt Ran's son, Nori, turned five while they were visiting Konoha. Her father had a massive feast made, decorations painted and hanged, and brightly wrapped gifts displayed. This was the first time she truly understood that birthdays were meant to honor the recipient of them. That it was common practice to celebrate.

But Sakura also understood from a young age that her presence was never something that was going to be celebrated- and especially not by her family. So she never expected anything- not even the tea, incase one year it didn't happen.

But as the day passed on and Sakura dutifully stayed in her room, reading and daydreaming, she received one more unexpected gift… When she was called down for dinner that evening, her father was not present. This was not wholly unusual; as for the past month her father was rarely home in time to attend dinner. But tonight Kizashi did not return home at all...

Sakura had worked on every mind trick she could think of to keep her green eyes open late into the night, expecting something truly terrifying to happen. A churning in her gut told her that perhaps tonight she would finally get to see what happened down in the basement with her own two eyes… but as the hours ticked passed her father never showed. And she did not feel guilty for being relieved.

Four days after her sixth birthday though, Sakura was starting to become antsy. No one had made mention to _when_ exactly she would be starting at the Academy… She now fit the required age, but neither parent seemed to be keen on taking her there, or mentioning her soon to be flourishing education… On the fifth day, she grew petulant and stomped around her room, knowing that her mother could hear. On the sixth day, while her mother was at the market, her Uncle Akio showed up with some disappointing news. Crouched at the top of the stairway, she heard him explain to her father from the foyer.

"She won't be able to begin classes until the beginning of September. There isn't enough children of age to start a full class."

And Sakura's stomach dropped as she heard her uncle explain to delay to her dreams. Sakura had known that at the regular school centre children did not attend during the summer- too many children were needed to help their parents with trade and farming. But the Shinobi Academy allowed their students no such breaks- they were to be the future elites of the village and were expected to work extra hard… But the war claimed too many lives. And even with the expected post-war baby boom, there still weren't enough children to fill a class.

"One of the instructors did give me this. He said she can practice them every morning to begin her training," Akio said. "Right at home…"

And Sakura knew from the lilt of her uncle's voice that he was teasing her father. Uncle Akio took a special sort of pleasure in pointing out her father's failure to pick a good spouse. She had gathered from the whisperings between her aunts that Kizashi had once between the favorite son and Akio, forever the underachiever. His status as second best had forever changed the day Sakura was born.

"Right, thank you for fetching this," Kizashi stiffly answered.

"Oh, it was no problem at all," Akio airily said. "I have to be going now, must get back to Kaori."

Sakura heard her father give a short farewell before loudly closing the door. She scrambled to get away from the stairway, but in her haste, her elbow knocked against the banister. Biting her lip, she looked up and locked eyes with her father's furious brown ones.

"Get down here," her father bit out.

Swallowing down her dread, Sakura slowly descended the stairs.

Once she was in reach, Kizashi impatiently dragged her down the rest of the steps. He hurled her through the sitting room and straight to the basement door.

Hot terror rushed through the little girl. She felt her gut clench as her father threw open the basement door and continue to drag her down the stone steps. They felt like ice on her bare feet, but Sakura ignored it, instinct telling her something much worse was about to happen. Once they reached the bottom, Kizashi threw her small body to the floor.

Sakura trembled. The basement cellar had always been a place of fright for her when she was little. With the lack of adequate lighting and the antiquated stone walls lined with shelves, upon shelves of her grandmother's sacred knick-knacks, Sakura knew she was not allowed to be down there. And that was one rule she was only too happy to obey. But now, trembling in front of her father, she didn't dare move her eyes to anything but him.

"You think it's acceptable to eavesdrop on private conversations?" Kizashi hissed. "Than perhaps I need to teach you a little lesson about manners!"

Sakura scooted backwards as her father unbuckled his black leather belt and yanked it off. She watched as he wove the material around his palm a few times, leaving a good two feet hanging. Her heartbeat doubled, and a hot sensation crept down her spine. And as her father approached, swinging his belt up in an arc, she felt that same humming sensation that she felt during her meditation fill her.

"NO!" Sakura cried, her voice oddly wavering. She threw her hands up to cover her face.

The cellar was silent for a moment, before Sakura heard a soft thump of leather hitting stone. She peaked her eyes up and noticed her father's arm was now back at his side, the belt pooled on a floor like a snoozing snake. When she looked up, her father's eyes were even more furious than when he caught her listening on the stairs. The hand that had been holding the belt kept clenching.

"Get out of here you little freak," Kizashi thundered.

And Sakura did not waste any time following that order. She scrambled to her feet, flinching, as she had to dart passed her father for the stairs. She took the stone steps two at a time and only paused once the basement door was closed.

Hesitating, the little girl stopped and listened to see if her father would follow. But no lumbering footsteps were heard… no sounds at all…She jumped like a startled cat when a loud _bang_ , followed by her father cursing was heard.

That prompted Sakura to race up to her bedroom and fling the door shut. It was only when she paused, did the little girl notice how drained she felt- like a wilted plant. But with a threat still eminent, she quickly grabbed the heavy chair from her desk and dragged it over, propping the back of it under the door handle. Only once she was satisfied with her makeshift lock, did the little girl make for the darkest corner in her room. She huddled up next to her nightstand, certain that if her father did manage to barge in, he would have trouble finding her.

And that was how she spent the night. Tired eyes flying open every time she heard so much as a creak go off in the house. Never flinching as her neck became sore or bottom felt numb. It wasn't until the next morning when her stomach demanded sustenance that the little girl got to her feet, wobbling slightly. She moved her chair and slowly crept down the stairs, alert for any signs of her father- even though it was more than likely that he was at his shop.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sakura entered the kitchen, but stopped in shock when she spotted her mother sitting at the table, a bright red book next to her.

"Good morning flower," Mebuki said, her delicate hand clutching a teacup.

"Good morning mother," Sakura responded, confused at seeing her mother out of her room, especially since it wasn't an errand day.

"Your uncle brought this book for you. It is from the Shinobi Academy. The instructors want you to read and practice its contents this summer. You will not begin classes until September."

Sakura nodded, already knowing this from the incident yesterday, but not wanting to confess to her mother what had transpired. "Did you look through the book?" she questioned instead, while grabbing some leftover rice balls .

"…I did," Mebuki hesitated.

Munching on her breakfast, Sakura studied her mother, noticing how her blue eyes would not meet her own. "Did you recognize any of the stuff in it?"

Mebuki sighed, "I do no wish to speak about my time as a kunoichi."

Sakura frowned, "I thought you would be able to help me with my training. You're a war hero, why wouldn't you want to talk about being a kunoichi?"

Mebuki's jaw tightened. "I never should have told you those stories when you were young- it put all these thoughts in your head. I didn't want this life for you- it's too dangerous, for more reasons than you know."

Trying to digest her mother's words, and all the implications that came with them, Sakura's frown deepened. "So you wont help train me?"

She watched her mother rise from her chair, "No, there is still hope that you will go down another path."

Sakura felt the tears stinging in the back of her eyes as she watched her mother leave the room. It was difficult enough knowing that her father would never support her, but hearing this from her _mother_ was worse. She furiously wiped the tears away and grabbed the red book, running outside with it. Settling herself by the koi pond once again, she read through the first part of the book on what being a shinobi meant. Sunning herself, Sakura absorbed the new information on the Hokage and shinobi duties.

By late morning she came across some information on chakra and mediation. Recognizing the same practice from the book she had, Sakura closed her eyes and once again practiced being mindful of her spiritual energy. She didn't know how long she had been meditating for when she opened her eyes, but the sun bore down on her harshly. She took a quick break to grab a drink before returning to the garden and flipping to the next chapter on basic katas. Jumping to her feet, Sakura practiced the first few shown in the book, coupled with some basic taijutsu moves. She wished she had someone to tell her if her form was correct, but tried her best by looking at her reflection in the pond's water. It wasn't until the sun started its retreat, did Sakura stop. She knew her father would be home soon and that he would be far less than pleased at catching her outside practicing where someone could see her.

She ran inside and took a quick shower to get rid off the sweat and dirt that had accumulated before joining her parents for dinner. And despite the hostile atmosphere, Sakura couldn't help but feel inwardly content. Her morning meditation, followed by afternoon katas and taijutsu manoeuvres made her feel like she was making real progress.

And this became a routine that she continued to practice for the rest of the summer. She worked herself through the red training book, until she had completed all the basic moves. And when she was finished, she would go back to the beginning and practice everything over, and over again. This repeated process worked both her body and mind, making the little girl feel extremely fatigued at nightfall. Her tiredness helped her ignore the tense atmosphere inside her household- the new bruises that would appear some mornings on her mother's arms or collarbone, the aura of hate that haunted her father…

Kizashi no longer visited her bedroom at night, and she could only be thankful.

By the time September rolled around Sakura was itching to get out of the house. She had the red book memorized backwards to forwards and was desperate for new material. On September third, her Uncle Akio showed up at the house again, just after dinner.

His brown eyes zeroed in on her, "I will be escorting you to the Shinobi Academy at seven o'clock tomorrow. Wait for me at the gate to the main road and do not be tardy."

Sakura nodded and excused herself from the table before either parent could utter a word about how they disagreed with her choices. But once she was in her room, she was just as antsy. Butterflies squirmed in her stomach and a small excited smile lit her face. She was so nervous and excited that she barely slept a wink that night.

At approximately five in the morning, Sakura was up and scurrying about her room for what necessities she thought she might need. She tried on three different outfits before settling on her favorite training one- plain black stretchy shorts and a light blue tunic. It had always allowed for a full range of movement. Grabbing her bag and red training book, she headed down the path to the main gate of the house at six thirty.

Sakura was practically bouncing on her feet by the time Uncle Akio showed up. He did not try to make any sort of conversation with her as the walked along the quiet streets. Merchants and vendors were just starting to set up their shops, but the streets were still mostly empty. It was only when they reached the Academy, and Uncle Akio lead her to a man with a spiky ponytail, green vest and a forehead protector, did he speak.

"Umino-san, I'm Haruno Akio, and this is my niece, Sakura. We spoke earlier this summer."

The man smiled with gentleness Sakura did not expect. "Ah yes, its nice to see you again." His dark eyes looked down at Sakura, "I hope you found the training book useful."

Nerves tightened her throat, but she managed a quick nod and a quiet, "Very much, shinobi-san."

The nin chuckled deeply. "So polite! You can call me Iruka-sensei."

Sakura nodded, feeling confused at the man's informality. She was accustomed to adults drilling respect into her.

Another parent caught Iruka-sensei's attention and he wandered away. Sakura looked at her uncle. She flushed upon noticing his appraising stare.

"Succeed," was all that Akio said, before walking off towards the gate and leaving Sakura alone in a sea of children and parents.

It was the first time Sakura fully grasped the social aspect of her situation. She had been so focused on mediation and training that somehow the little girl failed to remember that she would eventually be training amongst her peers. For the first time, she may have friends…

Many of the children appeared as if they already knew each other. Several of them screamed each other's names in delight as their parents- wearing forehead protectors chatted amicably. The Academy instructors all seemed busy with administration duties, and it appeared as if it would be a while before anyone entered a classroom. So Sakura ventured over to an oversized tree and sat down, and observed.

She watched as a tall blonde girl scolded a brown haired boy with a spiky ponytail. She took notice of a boy with red marks on his cheeks chasing after a small white puppy. She observed a girl with lavender pupiless eyes nervously standing next to a group of severe looking shinobi with similar eyes. And finally Sakura noticed the kunoichi from the spring festival- her mother's _teammate_. The woman must have felt her gaze because she looked up and her dark eyes caught with Sakura's green.

"All first year students, please go to room 104," one of the instructors called.

Sakura got to her feet and dusted off her backside. She tried to blend herself into the crowd of new students. As she was swept into the classroom, a man with white-blond hair greeted them.

"Hello first years, I'm Mizuki- sensei. I have arranged to have you sit in alphabetical order for the first week of class. This way we can all get to know each other's names a bit better. Please find the seat with your name on it."

Sakura hunted out her seat. Her chair was next to a girl named Ami and a window. Quickly taking her seat, she noticed a girl with shoulder length purple hair approach. Hope blossomed in her chest…this was her chance to make a real friend.

"Hello," Sakura quietly said, offering a shy smile.

The girl studied her for a moment, before smiling back. "Hi."

But before the girls were able to get more acquainted, Mizuki- sensei started the class. Sakura straightened herself up and listened attentively. It turned out that the lecture was mostly the same as the information in the red book- shinobi duties and such. Sakura still listened, but felt her attention straying to the window, where a class of older students were practicing outdoors.

When Mizuki-sensei dismissed the class for lunch, Sakura followed the rest of the children outside. Many of them once again quickly grouped themselves off, including her seatmate Ami.

Sakura trod over to the tree once again and slowly ate from her bento. She was halfway through her lunch when the branches of the tree began to rustle. Startled, Sakura looked up to find bright blue eyes and whiskered cheeks staring hungrily at her lunch. She recognized the boy as the orphan from the festival, and while she wasn't sure why he was spying on her, she knew he was probably hungry. So with at least half of her food untouched, Sakura closed her bento and set it aside. She made no move to acknowledge the boy as she got to her feet and strode towards the door.

"Hey," a voice from behind her called.

Sakura turned around. It was her mother's teammate's son. "Hello," she cautiously replied. Her mother had seemed hesitant around the woman.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. We met at the spring festival, remember?" he said with a carefree smile.

Sakura nodded, smiling back slightly.

"Our mothers were on a team together, did you know?" he asked, voice earnest.

Clearing her throat, Sakura replied, "I didn't know until the festival."

Sasuke shrugged, "Me either."

"Sasuke, Sasuke!" a group of slightly older children with similar black hair and eyes called from a bench.

"Well, see you in class," he said, before running over to the group.

Sakura watched them for a moment before heading back inside. She slipped into the classroom and noted just one other person sitting down. It was the girl with the lavender eyes. She sent the girl a small smile before sitting back in her seat.

A bell rang a few moments later, and the classroom quickly filled up again. Ami took her seat beside her.

"How do _you_ know a Uchiha? I didn't think you were from a ninja clan," Ami said, craning her head to look for a clan symbol on the back of Sakura's shirt.

Sakura chewed her lip for a moment, "We don't really know each other. And I'm not from a shinobi clan." She didn't know why knowing an Uchiha was a big deal anyway…

Ami studied her for a moment before her eyes narrowed, "You don't have to lie about it."

Sakura opened her mouth to refute the statement, but Iruka-sensei walked in the classroom, hushing everyone.

A large portion of the afternoon was spent with Iruka lecturing them on chakra. A lot of the information was familiar, but Sakura perked up when she was introduced to a new term: blood limit.

"Some shinobi, especially if they hail from a shinobi-clan will have a blood limit. This limit when activated or combined with their chakra allows them to do special things that regular nin cannot. It is exclusive to a shinobi clan and cannot be learned- only inherited."

Sakura felt herself droop a bit at that. It would have been interesting to have a blood limit- but she knew her mother did not hail from a shinobi-clan.

The last part of the day was spent outside going over katas and taijutsu moves. Sakura recognized the majority of them, but a few new ones were thrown in. She also noticed how several others were very good at the exercises- the blond girl, a boy with an overcoat and sunglasses, and Sasuke all received praises.

At the end of the day Sakura walked to the front of the building, seeing several parents waiting for the children. She hesitated for a moment, but Uncle Akio never mentioned walking her home. So she made the trek through the streets alone, ignoring some of the curious eyes on her.

Dinner that night was quieter than normal. Her father was not present and her mother did not ask her about how her first day went. Sakura did not offer her any recounts of it either. She went to bed early, feeling more tired than usual and wondered if perhaps tomorrow she would make a friend.

The next morning she woke up a little later, and changed into another training outfit. Walking down the pathway, she was not surprised when no one met her. And it did not bother the girl that she had to make the walk to the Academy alone. When she reached the building a few of her classmates were milling about with their parents or elder siblings.

Sakura slipped into the classroom, and only one other person was there. Once again it was the girl with the lavender eyes. Gathering her courage, Sakura walked over to the girl. She noticed how the girl trembled slightly as she approached.

"Hello, I'm Haruno Sakura," she said, nodding politely.

The girl nodded back, "H- hello Haruno- san, I'm Hyuga Hinata," she stuttered slightly.

"It's nice to meet you," Sakura said, but was slightly distracted when she noticed out of the corner of her eye something sitting on her chair.

The girl hummed her agreement and Sakura smiled again before walking over to her seat and pulling out her chair. Sitting on top of it was her bento box for the day before. She opened it and noticed it was completely empty. Putting it in her bag, she took her seat as people started filing in.

The day passed much the same as the last. And soon, a week, then a month went by. Sakura's routine was set. She was learning lots at the academy, but she still hadn't made many friends.

Sometimes she could hear Ami and her friends whisper nasty things about her hair or 'cat-like" eyes. This didn't particularly bother her as she had heard much worse things from home… but these girls were not her family. And she could not quite grasp why they seemed to dislike her.

Hinata was always nice to her, but the girl was both quiet and painfully shy. Sasuke would sometimes wave to her, but he always sat with the other Uchiha children. And the boy with the blue eyes- _Naruto_ was a giant prankster. He was always getting into trouble. So while Sakura would always leave a bit of her lunch for him, she didn't particularly want to spend her time with him. It was lonely, but whenever she felt herself getting down, she would remind herself that at least she was on her way to becoming a shinobi.

Mizuki-sensei would praise Sakura's knowledge on chakra and Konoha history. Suzumi-sensei would never call on Sakura in class, even when she was the only one with her hand raised. And Iruka- sensei was nice, but Sakura found herself irrationally irritated with him. Logically she knew that he was just trying to help, but it always felt like he was pointing out her flaws, or using her as an example of what _not_ to do during physical training.

Iruka- sensei had told her that she lacked stamina and that her aim with the practice kunai was very off. So every night Sakura would run home, trying to increase her stamina. She did push ups, sit- ups and jumping jacks in the back yard. Sometimes she would even sneak out in the middle of the night to practice her aiming skills with her training kunai. And sometimes Sakura could swear that she felt her mother's eyes on her. But she could never catch a glimpse of the woman- and its not like she would ever help her anyways…

A year passed by much the same. Sakura found herself borrowing more and more books from Mizuki-sensei. And every day at lunch she would read from one of the large tomes while eating half her lunch. Sometimes Hinata would join her, quiet as a mouse as she ate her own food. And occasionally whatever book that was propped in her lap remained unread, as instead she chose to observe those around her.

Sakura picked up a lot more information about her classmates from watching them than they probably knew. For instance, she knew that Shikamaru was a lot more clever than he let on, and he would sometimes goad Ino into an argument to get her to stop teasing Choji about his weight. Kiba would sometimes rant about how 'uppity' the Uchiha clan was, but Sakura thought it was because his own clan was known for how 'wild' they were. The Uchihas- Sasuke was the only one in her class and he was always friendly to her, but he also stuck closely to his family. And Naruto- he loved pulling pranks because he loved attention.

Yet despite all the interesting faults she manage to pick up about these people, they still managed to have friends. Even Naruto, who the village notoriously hated, was liked by Kiba and Shikamaru.

In her second year Sakura's class were given real weapons to practice with after a stern lecture. And to her dismay, once again she was behind. The first day she picked up a senbon and threw it, it fell before even meeting the target board causing Ami and her friends to giggle obnoxiously behind her. But Sakura paid them no attention, instead she watched as Shino picked the senbon up and hit the target in the third inner circle.

Lessons became more challenging, but she excelled at anything lecture based. Information gathering exercises were her favorite. Sparring was probably her least favorite activity, but she knew that shinobi were expected to be strong. She _had_ to be strong.

One day, late in the winter Sakura sat under the same tree for lunch, bundled in her scarf. Hinata sat beside her, eyes on the ground. Sakura had a large book on ninjutsu resting on her lap, but her eyes were not focused on the words. Instead she scanned the schoolyard intently.

"Sasuke is not here today," Sakura, said, double- checking the yard. " _None_ of the Uchiha are here today."

Hinata looked up and she too scanned the area. "You're right." Her brows pinched together, "Its unusual for a clan to allow their members a day off. Unless it's a religious holiday-"

"-Which it's not," Sakura finished.

Her thoughts remained troubled through the rest of the day. Something felt off. And as she ran home for the day, Sakura noticed an abnormally large amount of jounin running about the village.

After she had finished some new offensive taijutsu and was about to sit down for dinner, someone knocked at the door. Kizashi gave her a look and Sakura went to answer the door. A short blonde genin stood on the other side of it.

"Is this the residence of Haruno Sakura?" the girl asked.

Sakura nodded, confused.

"All classes at the academy are cancelled for the next two days. They will resume on Friday at the regular time."

"Why are classes cancelled?" Sakura asked, never once hearing of an incident like this occurring.

The girl just shrugged before taking off down the lane.

"Who was at the door?" Kizashi asked as she sat down.

"A genin. She said my classes are cancelled until Friday," Sakura explained, confusion still colouring her tone.

Kizashi snorted, "Unreliable as always…"

Sakura was too busy thinking about the odd events of the day to be bothered by her father's rant.

She spent the next day finishing her ninjustsu book and doing moderate exercises. But most of the day was spent pondering on what could be going on in the village…

By the second day Sakura was convinced that the village was under attack… or that someone had stole a forbidden scroll. Either way something dire was going on. Aunt Ran had decided to visit her father that morning and help sew some custom scarves, so Sakura holed herself up in her room. She only emerged when she watched the two leave the house through her bedroom window.

As she walked down the stairs she heard a strange noise coming from her mother's room. It sounded like sniffling… She slowly opened her mother's bedroom door and saw her mother lying on her bed sobbing. And clutched in her hand was the day's newspaper.

"Mom?" Sakura tentatively asked.

Mebuki struggled to sit up upon hearing her daughter's voice. "Oh flower," she sniffed.

And Sakura crept towards her mother, caught off guard when the woman swept her in a big hug. Her worry grew as she felt her mother's body shake with sobs, and wet tears dampen her shirt. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

Mebuki clutched her harder, hiccupping. And over her mother's shoulder, Sakura could see the headline of the day's newspaper.

' _ **UCHIHA MASSACRE'**_

 _Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

 _This one is a lot longer than the others and truth be told I'm not 100% satisfied with it. Thank you to all those who reviewed for the last few chapters! I do love hearing your feedback._

 _Thanks for reading and please review :)_

 _-Nyx_


	5. Grit

**Chapter 4: Grit**

" _Edit your life_

 _frequently and ruthlessly._

 _It's your masterpiece_

 _after all."_

 _\- anonymous_

Grief, Sakura thought was a _strange_ thing. For most people the circumstances surrounding their grief tended to sneak up and overwhelm them… And Sakura noted with a sort of morbid curiosity that various people all reacted somewhat differently. Some people would demonstrate their grief in aggressive displays- sobbing, yelling, _even_ resorting to violence… Others would cling to their loved ones, tears dripping from their face as their hands clutched each other. And then there were those who attempted to remain stoic- these people fascinated her the most. Because no matter how hard they tried, the shadows hanging from their eyes and the stiffness of their gait would always betray their inner turmoil.

The week after the massacre of the Uchiha clan Sakura had witnessed all these various types of mourning within her village. The instructors at the academy were remaining tightlipped about the incident, but their sorrow was bellied in their stricken attitude and less-than focused lessons. On her run home after the first day back, Sakura spotted a chunin girl loudly sobbing about her slain teammate. She even overheard some civilians gossiping about the incident, their tones hushed and somber.

But despite the grief, Sakura had also heard other sorts of whispers… When she passed a fruit stand on her way to the academy, she heard the vendors chatting about how the arrogant Uchihas had got what was coming to them. During lunch, one of the students from the older classes had said that the sharingan was too powerful a tool for any clan to rightfully possess and this was Kami's revenge. Even her own father had snorted ' _good riddance'_ as he had read the newspaper article.

But with all the gossip surrounding the event, there was one thing that everyone was keeping silent about- who was responsible for it. Over a hundred people- men, women, and children were slaughtered and not a peep about their murderer was mentioned. She watched as countless people reminisced on a stray memory they had with an Uchiha- many of these memories were exaggerated in the way people tend to talk about the dead. But no one seemed particularly worried or revenge stricken on who killed their acquaintances. And this struck the little girl as odd.

But what seemed even more peculiar to her was that after the first month, the massacre slowly seemed to creep out of conversation. People who had sobbed on the street, or shook their head in disdain had appeared to forget the massive tragedy that happened just beyond their own doorsteps and moved on with their lives. People who were acquaintances, teammates, and instructors of Uchihas seem to snap back into their everyday routine like nothing had happened. It was as if their misery had an expiry date and once it was over, everyone had to go back to normal.

Things weren't normal though. Sakura logically had known that shinobi could and did die during missions; in fact she even knew the statistical rate of shinobi deaths and their average lifespan. They were not particularly thrilling numbers. But this was the first time death felt real to her. A whole group of people, some whom she knew, even if just by face were all of the sudden _not there_. It was a chilling reality and caused her to think about her future- her dream career in more than just rose colored glasses.

It was time that she stepped up her game.

So she devoured books during lessons and borrowed as many scrolls from the academy as they would let her. Scrolls on genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, fuinjutsi… Anything and everything that she thought could potentially help her. And while her chakra reserves were not strong enough to accomplish most of the jutsus she was learning, at least she had their knowledge in her arsenal.

The later half of her days at the academy were devoted to physical training. She didn't know what exactly had made the instructors reroute their schedule, but this extra time was Kami- sent. She became more determined, worked herself past her limits. She pushed her little body until sweat soaked through her clothes and nausea tickled her throat. Every night her muscles ached and exhaustion pulled her into a dreamless sleep. But that was okay, perfect in fact. It meant she was improving.

Sometimes she became frustrated with her natural weaknesses though. Things that were impossible to change. In many ways it was difficult being compared to your peers when you were one of the smallest people in the class. No matter how much muscle mass Sakura acquired, she could not compete with the raw size that several of her sparring partners had.

It took her six weeks of constantly being beat down, even after her new stricter training, for Sakura to learn a special sort of tactic. It was after watching an older class spar that she realized she needed to be more fluid with her movements. She may not have been physically domineering- she probably never would, but that could be used to her advantage. She focused on becoming faster, more nimble. Sakura learned the art of exhausting ones opponent and striking at precisely the right moment, in the right area to cause maximum damage. If she were going to protect her village from unseen foes like the Uchiha killer, then she needed to be _better_.

Two months after the Uchiha massacre Sasuke returned to the academy. Sakura hadn't been completely sure if rumors about his survival were true or not, so it was a shock walking into the classroom one morning and seeing him sitting in his usual desk at the back.

Guilt welled in her for a moment as she took in his shockingly pale skin and deep bruise like bags that clung to his eyes. She wondered if perhaps she should have tried to visit him in the hospital- or wherever else he was staying… But then again, how did one console someone over the loss of their _entire_ family? Especially when she had trouble relating to people in the first place…

Sasuke's dark eyes caught her pitying stare, and narrowed hatefully. She quickly turned and faced the front of the classroom. It was then that she vividly recalled her first meeting with him- at the spring festival with his beautiful and curious mother… his mother who was no longer _alive_.

By the time the rest of her classmates trickled in, each paused to stare at Sasuke for a moment. She wondered if some of them, like her had thought he was dead too. But her second shock of the day came when Ami took her customary seat next to her and started gossiping with Yuri, who was in front of them.

"Did you see? Sasuke is back!" Ami leaned forward and whispered to Yuri.

Sakura pulled a scroll on water style ninjutsu out of her bag, trying to dismiss the conversation. But her unrolling stopped at Yuri's next words.

"Yeah, I wonder where he went..."

"I'm not sure. He looks pale- maybe he was sick?" Ami mused.

Sakura stared at the girls incredulously. Surely they couldn't be dense enough to _not_ know about the Uchiha massacre? It was printed in the newspaper! Everyone from their fellow classmates to street peddlers were talking about it.

She turned in her seat and noticed Shikamaru also giving the girls a disbelieving stare. He caught Sakura's eye and rolled his own in response to the two girl's foolishness before laying his head down in customary 'nap' position.

Sakura tuned out Ami and Yuri's conversation as it strayed to fashion, but her mind stuck on the earlier topic. She had always assumed that everyone in class knew about the Uchiha massacre, but now that she thought about it, she supposed that wasn't true. The only people that Sakura had actually overheard discussing it were older students, and a couple of clan children in her own class. Not even Ino, who was the Yamanaka heiress had mentioned the massacre when she mused at how long Sasuke would be gone for.

Sakura's class was just about split evenly between children that hailed from shinobi clans and civilian ones. She quickly figured that for most civilian children their parents might have shielded the news about the massacre from them in some latent attempt to preserve innocence. She internally scoffed- they were going to be _shinobi_ for Kami's sake- it was doing them a greater injustice to let them drown in their ignorance. Sakura also figured that parents in shinobi clans would be far more pragmatic about death. But as she quickly peeked over at Ino who was mindlessly running her fingers through her lush blonde hair, she considered that maybe that wasn't the case.

"Hey TEME! Where the hell have you _been_?" Naruto suddenly shouted as he skidded into the classroom, barely a moment before the bell rang.

Every single head in the classroom, including her own whipped to the back to see how Sasuke would react. And even if not everyone knew why Sasuke was away for so long, the menacing aura that cautioned anyone from coming close pretty much spelled out his bad mood.

Sasuke's lip curled up in a harsh sneer, "Tch, dobe."

"Naruto," Iruka- sensei barked at his least favorite student, "find your seat _now_!"

Naruto grumbled, his whiskered cheeks scowling before he plopped himself down next to Sayu who positively sneered at him.

Iruka-sensei lectured the class on how to properly take care of weapons before leading everyone outside to the training grounds. But this time the training ground had a new addition- a table with an assortment of every kind of weapon a shinobi could ever want was on it.

Iruka-sensei picked up the standard shuriken, "What is this?" he quizzed.

Kiba's puppy barked and Kiba answered before Iruka-sensei could pick a hand. He shot the boy a warning look before moving on to some less familiar items. An axe, a scythe, a broadsword…all very impressive looking, and all very heavy looking. Sakura couldn't help but feel like the weight of some of the weapons would cost their users some much needed strength in battle. But the intimidation factor was striking nonetheless.

"Come up for a closer look, but do not touch anything unless you ask for assistance. Anyone who does will be running laps around the Hokage Mountain." Iruka-sensei warned.

Sakura waited patiently as her classmates all swarmed upon the weapons. Their chatter turned thunderous as they each bragged about which weapon they would master.

"Not eager to find yourself a weapon?" Iruka-sensei asked, a wry grin curving his lips as his eyes stuck to the crowing eight year olds.

Sakura watched as Riku pointed to the giant battle-axe and loudly proclaimed he would master it. "I can wait my turn."

Iruka chuckled. "I've noticed that you have become very interested in ninjutsu. Shinobi who master its uses have several advantages, but circumstances can prevent them from using it. It is always best to master some sort of weaponry. You're aim has improved a lot."

Sakura flushed slightly at the praise. She had always felt like Iruka-sensei unfairly pointed out her flaws to the class, but it finally seemed like he was finally taking note of her improvements.

"I hope you don't mind that I used you in my demonstrations, Sakura," Iruka said, watching the little girl out of the corner of his eye. "Its just that I knew you could handle the criticism better than others."

He watched as she nodded resolutely. He had always thought she was such an odd little creature. Bright green eyes, pink hair, the tiniest frame, and the most level head that he had ever seen on a child. She was more stoic than some of the _Uchihas_ … Iruka shook his head. He looked down and watched her scrutinize her classmates' childish antics. She was in many ways a little adult- it would serve her well in the line of work she was going down, but only if she could learn to interact better with others.

"Why don't you look over here," Iruka said, guiding her over to the less popular side of the table, where all of the smaller, less imposing weapons lay.

Sakura took in the various different types of senbon and kunai before her eyes settled on a familiar object. One that even an untrained civilian child would recognize. One that made her think of that day two years ago in the basement. A _whip_. It was curled up in several loops, away from the sharper pointed weapons. The leather material was thick near the wrapped handle, but tapered out thinly and it seemed to be coated with a shiny substance. Her fingers itched to touch it, but she heeded Iruka-sensei's warning. Intrigue burned within her.

"NARUTO!" Iruka-sensei bellowed.

Sakura whirled around to see Naruto grinning as he tried to grasp the broadsword. The weight of the weapon quickly tipped the boy over and Sakura winced as Iruka-sensei gripped him by the scruff. The entire class was given laps after that. Sakura took this in stride, but as she ran, she watched as several of her classmates hissed at Naruto.

The next day Sakura arrived and once again noticed Sasuke sitting in the back of the classroom, hunched over and surly. She averted her eyes. Approaching him and speaking to him would be out of character- they had never been close. And she had a feeling that Sasuke would see it for what it was- sympathy.

So she quickly took her seat, but instead of pulling out a tome or scroll, she chose to instead look out the window. It was a practice she engaged a lot in when she was younger- daydreaming. But today she watched as Naruto slowly ambled through the gate. Some of the older students pushed him aside, and in typical Naruto fashion, he started cursing them out. Sakura shook her head with a wry grin- sometimes it seemed like he would never learn.

That month Iruka-sensei, along with some other chunins allowed the students to practice with some of the weapons. For some reason Sakura found herself drawn to the whip again. It was not the most practical weapon- it could be cut, or get tangled and training would be an art in itself, but the weapon carried a raw sort of elegance- it almost felt wrong calling it a weapon instead of a tool.

"I see you are looking at the whip," a girl wearing the standard green chunin vest remarked.

Sakura gazed at the girl out of the side of her eye, as she tentatively picked the whip up. It was surprisingly light in her hand. After brushing her finger over the leather-like material, she fully turned to face the girl. "Do you know much about using one?"

"A little, there aren't many people that utilize them. But my brother used to. He always said it was dead handy. Good for movement, binding, destruction, and of course if you couple it with a ninjutsu technique, a whip can be deadly."

Sakura let the whip uncoil, it was so long that the end of it pooled on the ground. But holding it felt _right_. She turned to the girl. "Do you suppose there is someone that could teach me?"

The girl smirked. She had a good feeling about this.

…

Despite the Uchiha massacre, the rest of the year passed relatively normally, with only a few exceptions. Sasuke had never bounced back to his reserved but cheery demeanor, though Sakura never really expected him to. Sometimes she watched him before she left the academy at the end of the day while he would continue to ruthlessly train. She wondered how late into the night he would stay.

Sakura had also added yoga to her morning mediation routine. She had gathered her courage and asked one of the older girls who she had frequently watched spar how she had become so flexible. And once the girl explained yoga, Sakura checked out the nearest book on it. It was a type of exercise that made her feel intimately familiar with her body-inside and out.

Her newfound flexibility also helped her with learning how to master the whip. Misa-sensei, the chunin who had introduced her to the weapon had agreed to meet her three times a week when she wasn't busy with missions. The training had gone slowly at first- it took her a while to adjust to such a long instrument. And the backlash had caused her to go home nursing lash marks more often than not. But she was beginning to get a handle on the weapon- she used it to grasp objects before tearing them apart with her kunai, restrain Misa-sensei and even propel herself. After eight months of diligently working Misa-sensei had even gifted Sakura with her own whip.

At nine years old, three years into the academy, it seemed as if her routine was set. _Until_ of course things changed. Usually during the last hour of school, Mizuki-sensei let them outside to train, read, or work on homework. It was essentially a free period as long as they were productive. But one day instead of just their white-haired sensei standing at the front of the class, Suzume-sensei was there too. The normal classroom chatter died down as everyone stared at the woman, confused.

"Girls, please come to the front of the classroom. You will begin your kunoichi classes with me in room 208."

Sakura rose from her seat and gathered her bags, interest peaked. She did love the extra training at the end of the day, but special classes seemed exciting!

She was _wrong_...

Kunoichi classes were in Sakura's grand opinion, _pointless_. Everyday she was forced to give up worthwhile training and learn useless things like flower arranging or how to walk and talk like a highborn lady. The girls practiced how to properly tie an obi, apply makeup, and pour tea. All lessons that Grandmother Satomi would have highly approved of if Sakura had actually been a Haruno. But she wasn't a Haruno, and she didn't care to pretend at being a pampered princess. She wanted to be a _shinobi_. So suffice to say, these classes were her least favorite.

This was not a popular opinion shared by her classmates though. Ami and Yuri would squeal at the end of the day about what messages they were going to send in their bouquets. Ino would always smirk as she made the most beautiful arrangements, and even Hinata flushed at being praised over her eloquent skills with a kimono.

Sakura's arrangements were adequate and Suzume-sensei could not fault her on her flawless impression of a young lady. This was a disguise that she donned the moment she stepped into her family home. But despite her success, she still internally grumbled about having to attend these lessons. Suzume-sensei warned them that as they got older, more difficult topics would be introduced to them, but Sakura couldn't imagine what other pointless things kunoichi were expected to learn.

Another unexpected downside occurred the year she turned nine. She really should have expected it, what with the kunoichi classes teaching them how to arrange flowers that could mean anything from sympathy to eternal devotion. But Sakura was wholly taken by surprise when she sat down in room 208 and heard a few girls discussing whom their crushes were. And while that in itself was not so shocking, it was the massive fight that followed that was truly astounding.

"I think he's dreamy," Ami said, sighing happily.

"Whose dreamy?" Ino demanded as she and a few other girls swept into the classroom.

Ami blushed at being overheard, but tilted her chin up defiantly, "Sasuke-kun of course."

Sakura watched with growing trepidation as Ino snorted in derision. "Like Sasuke-kun would ever go for a girl like _you_. Obviously Sasuke-kun is going to be with me." She said it like it was the most honest statement in the world.

Ami's face flushed with rage, but Sayu beat her response. "He doesn't like either of you! Sasuke-kun is going to marry me!"

It was after this statement that the violence escalated. And by the time Suzume-sensei made her way to the classroom only two minutes later, some of the girls were brawling on the floor, flowers and makeup lay scattered and broken in their midst. The entire class was scolded on fighting with each other- they were going to be kunoichi and expected to support each other. But as she watched Sayu, Ino, and several other girls scowl at each other, she figured the lecture was falling of deaf ears.

Sakura had thought that because she harbored no romantic feelings towards Sasuke- or anyone else in the class for that matter, she would be spared his fan-girl's ire. But she was unfortunate enough to be paired up with Sasuke for taijutsu sparing one day.

Sasuke's dark eyes scanned her dismissively as they faced each other- as if he didn't even think she was an opponent worthy of his time. Anger burned within her for a moment before she dismissed it. Iruka-sensei called for them to begin and Sasuke was behind her, before she could barely move. But Sakura bowed her back, missing his hit and kicked her leg out, just grazing his side as Sasuke dodged. Sakura bit her lip in frustration as she found herself on the defense more than offense. Usually she would try to use her speed and size to exploit her opponent, but Sasuke was even faster than her. She blocked a particularly vicious jab, before flipping around and managing to hit Sasuke full on in the face. Surprise flashed in his dark eyes for a moment before rage took over. He had Sakura pinned to the floor before she could ready herself for his next attack. Blood from his nose dripped onto her face as he pinned her arms, his knees gripping her thighs.

"Call. Winner- Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka-sensei announced.

Sasuke didn't move off her for a moment, his dark eyes still biting into her own. But Sakura wasn't sure exactly what he was seeing, as the rage burning in his eyes couldn't being intended for _her_. But still, she felt uncomfortable under his stare, so she wiggled her arms, hoping he would take the hint.

"Sasuke," Iruka-sensei barked.

His head snapped up, and more blood poured out of his nose. He was off Sakura and on his feet in a flash, as if the contact had burned him.

But when Sakura got to her feet, wincing slightly at her sore neck and side, she looked over to where the rest of the class should have been sparring. But almost all of them where staring at Sasuke. It only took a few seconds though for Yuri to send Sakura a scathing glare. And when she took her usual seat in class, Ami stomped in, huffing as she sat next to her.

"I don't know what your trying, but it's not going to work," Ami hissed at her.

Sakura was startled out of her reading. She frowned at the purple-haired girl, "What do you mean?"

"You were trying to impresses Sasuke-kun during sparring," Ami said, dark eyes narrowed.

Sakura scowled, "No I wasn't. I was trying to win."

Ami huffed, "Like _you_ could ever win against Sasuke-kun! And he will never notice you either! You're too ugly, with your big forehead and stupid pink hair!"

Suzume-sensei entered the classroom and cut off Ami's hushed rant. Sakura quietly thanked Kami for that as she listened to the lesson on how to properly use a fan.

But as her sensei began droning on, she caught her reflection in the window. Sakura cocked her head studying her face. Sure she wasn't obviously beautiful like Ino, but she hadn't consider herself _ugly_ either. Her brows pinched together- her forehead didn't look particularly large to her. Her eyes were not wide and doe like, but almond shaped and bright green. She had a small nose, and full lips. Sure her hair, and maybe even her eye colour made her look a little exotic, but if you took away the bright colors she thought she looked perfectly average. Shaking her head, at her own foolishness, Sakura refocused on Suzume-sensei. Appearances didn't matter anyways.

But for the next three years as kunoichi classes continued, Sakura was forced to reevaluate her opinion. While physical appearances may have made no difference to her, they did to the rest of the world. Suzume-sensei would allude to seduction, or 'honeypot' missions kunoichi would have to complete in the most delicate way possible, but Sakura could read the subtext. If you were a beautiful woman, it was a simple matter of asking the right questions to the right people to gain important information.

"A kunoichi will only be asked to be a part of honeypot missions when she turns fifteen or under very strict circumstances. They will undergo a mental evaluation and special preparation," Suzume-sensei explained. "But that doesn't mean that you have to wait. As females, many of you will be underestimated- use that to gain the advantage over your enemy."

It was an interesting notion- but slightly distasteful. Sakura had always pictured herself a heavy hitter when she imagined being a shinobi. She wanted to be on the front lines, tearing through her foe, while standing next to her heroes. Not slinking around in the shadows with a painted smile and beguiling eyes. But she was to be a tool of the village, what choice did she have?

"Suzume-sensei?" Sakura questioned, raising her hand.

Suzume cast her annoyed look, "Yes, Sakura?"

Some of the other girls giggled at their teacher's annoyance with her. She ignored them, "Do boys have to be trained for this too?"

All the girls, even Hinata tittered at her question. Suzume-sensei did not laugh, but her mouth was twisted in a half grin.

"No Sakura, they don't. The boys have a free period right now. It is unnecessary for them to learn."

Sakura frowned, "But why? Don't men have to go on honeypot missions too?"

This time Suzume-sensei did laugh, "No dear girl! The criminals that kunoichi are interrogating, stealing from, or assassinating are men!"

Sakura remained silent and allowed Suzume-sensei to move on, but she silently fumed. Surely the Hokage didn't think that _all_ criminals and missing-nin were men! Women were just as capable of committing evil deeds- and if anyone needed convincing she would happily introduce them to Grandmother Satomi.

She spent the rest of the class internally fuming about the inequality that was present in their military system. It wasn't fair that the boys got to spend the last hour doing whatever they wanted when she was forced to learn how to flatter a man. And at the end of the day, Sakura was not fully able to reign in her temper as she stomped out of the classroom. Unfortunately, Naruto had decided to join her. He had been doing that a lot lately.

"Hi Sakura-chan!"

She could hear Ami and Yuri giggling from behind her and internally sighed before offering him a wan smile.

"Hello Naruto-san."

Naruto's smile grew and he began passionately gushing about becoming the future Hokage while Sakura gathered her bags and prepped to run home. She didn't know where Naruto's sudden aggressive friendliness had come from, but it was slightly annoying, as terrible as that sounded. Yes, she left him some of her lunch every day and yes, he returned the clean bento box every morning. But it was their unspoken agreement. Lately though, he had taken to loudly trying to gather her attention- attention that was better spent training or reading.

"Exams are coming up," Naruto prattled on. "Are you nervous Sakura-chan? Of course you're not, you're a genius! I'm not worried at all either, you're looking at the future Hokage- believe it!"

Sakura couldn't help but grin at his optimism, even if his talent didn't quite match. Either way, she felt less angry than before. But as she ran home for the night and completed her training taijutsu, her mind strayed to Naruto's earlier words. Exams were coming up, and if she passed she would be a genin- a real shinobi.

So for the next two weeks Sakura trained almost constantly- both her body and mind. She completely shut out any form of distraction in favor of improving herself- sleep was forfeited, observation could wait- anything that did not contribute to helping her pass the exam was forgotten.

She ignored her mother's worried looks and father's suspicious stares. If she had spent more time in the house than perhaps she would have realized that the trips to the basement were happening almost nightly now for her mother. But she was busy, so she didn't notice. Green eyes that were so curious as they took in her surroundings no longer searched for stray bruises or welts on her mother and instead focused on scroll after scroll.

The morning of the exam, Sakura rose form her bed before sunrise and walked out to the garden. She shivered a bit as the dewy grass touched her bare toes, but ignored the chill and began her mediation. She started with breathing before settling into some yoga stretches. As she moved into some more complicated poses, Sakura searched out her chakra. It was humming brightly, the cords all having thickened in the years of training. But Sakura still couldn't help but frown as she noticed the core of her chakra remained the almost the same size. A small glow of spiritual energy, that hadn't seemed to have expanded much. This would be troublesome if she wanted to use any form of ninjutsu regularly, and she had been dying to test out a combination of her whip and a fire jutsu.

Sakura shifted into another position, but as she started to retreat from within, she noticed something else- the odd cluster of chakra that had always sat near her voice box had expanded almost a tenfold. Bright tethers stretched, connecting it to her core. It was strange, but she didn't have time to wonder about it. Sakura straightened herself and practiced a few more taijutsu moves- nothing to strenuous that could hinder her performance in the exam.

As she arrived at the Academy, Sakura witnessed a large gathering of parents dropping off her classmates. She supposed that they were wishing their children luck. Walking in the classroom, she noted that as usual Sasuke was perched at the back like a shadow. She never bothered to greet him anymore. Usually she would be halfway through a scroll, but today anxiety churned within her.

As the classroom filled up Sakura watched her classmates own nervous habits. Hinata was shaking slightly and Kiba's puppy, Akamaru looked like he was about to pee on the floor at any moment. When Mizuki-sensei walked in the entire class hushed.

"Good morning class," he smiled. Some offered him halfhearted greetings, but mostly everyone just tensed in nervous anticipation. "I am about to hand out the written portion of your exam. Once I do, absolutely no talking is allowed. If I catch any of you cheating, you fail. Understood?"

Everyone answered affirmative and Sakura bit her lip as a paper was put down in front of her. She scanned the questions quickly before almost snorting in disbelief. All of these questions were easy- stupidly easy. She almost wanted to berate herself for worrying so much.

She completed the simple questions quickly and raised her hand. Mizuki sensei smiled at her as he collected her exam before handing her a scroll on clone jutsu. She frowned confused- they had studied this jutsu months ago. It was one of the simpler ones that Sakura had actually completed with ease. But still, her teacher had handed it to her, so she obediently read up on the theory and hand signs. By the time she was finished reviewing, most of her classmates had finished their exams.

"The next portion of your exam will be outside on the training grounds, Iruka-sensei will be waiting for you," Mizuki-sensei announced.

This portion of the exam was slightly more difficult- they had to hit moving targets with senbon, complete an obstacle course and demonstrate basic katas. Sakura was only slightly winded when she finished. Iruka-sensei led them back into the classroom and sat down beside Mizuki-sensei for the last portion of the exam.

"Please complete a clone," Iruka-sensei stated after they lined up in alphabetical order.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock and she quickly glanced at Mizuki-sensei. He sent her a quick wink before focusing on Choji.

Sakura waited her turn, watching as almost everyone was able to complete the jutsu with ease. When her name was called, she quickly did the hand signs and transformed into Mizuki-sensei. He looked slightly surprised, as the rest of the class had been posing as Iruka.

After the entire class was tested they all lined up outside and Sakura uncharacteristically beamed as Mizuki-sensei pressed the Konoha forehead protector into her hand, with a quiet 'good job'. Her heart was beating loudly and pride welled within her. _She did it_.

But as Sakura looked around at all of her excited classmates, eagerly showing off their forehead protectors, she noticed Naruto sitting by the tree glumly. It didn't take a genius to realize he had failed. Part of her wanted to go comfort him, but what exactly could she say? You should have worked harder? You shouldn't have spent so much time pulling pranks? Everything she came up with sounded rude in her mind. So instead, she headed for the front of the gates. Several parents were swarmed around, congratulating their children. She ducked past them and continued home, knowing that there would be no celebration waiting, but too happy to care.

"Hello flower," Mebuki greeted her at the door. Her eyes darted to the forehead protector in her hand and dimmed slightly. Still she managed to pull her lips up in something that resembled a smile, "You are a genin now, congratulations."

Sakura knew the sentiment was false- her mother never wanted her to be a shinobi. But she smiled all the same.

And when Mebuki ushered her into the dining room, Sakura was surprised when the sight of her father met her.

"Well, did you pass?" Kizashi bit out, clutching a cup of sake.

Sakura cautiously sat down. "Yes," she quietly answered.

He grunted in response, before filling up his cup. And by the end of dinner his face had taken on a flush. "I never wanted one in the house- a kunoichi. They've already taught you all sorts of things about how to kill and deceive. Don't think I didn't notice you practicing in the garden!" Kizashi slurred.

Sakura didn't know how to answer, so she stayed silent. But the rant continued.

"Don't you dare bring dishonor to our name girl. You're not taking _those_ missions like your mother!"

"-Kizashi," Mebuki interrupted

His brown eyes darted over to his wife, anger swirling within them. "Don't deny it, that's how she got here, isn't it?"

Mebuki sighed, but didn't answer him. She turned to her daughter, watching as Sakura stared at her, trying to put her father's words together. "Go to your room."

Sakura dutifully stood up and took her plate to the kitchen. She was barely a step out of the room before the yelling started. It got quieter and quieter as she went up the stairs. She wished that they could have just let her be excited for _one_ night without tainting it. But than again, the implications of her father's words were starting to shred a little light on her parentage- if it was true of course.

Sakura tossed and turned all night and when she woke in the morning, she only did basic mediation and taijutsu. A small smiled lit her face as she tied the forehead protector on though. Spirits lifted, she ran to the academy- today she would learn what team she was in.

It seemed as if everyone was impatiently excited to figure out what teams they were on too, as there were more people than usual in the classroom when she showed up.

"Good morning everyone. I am going to list out each team and their jounin-sensei. Please wait here with your team for your sensei to show up," Iruka-sensei said.

Naruto barged in, "that's right, number one ninja, future Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto is here!" he announced.

Sakura's brows lifted as she noticed the forehead protector he was wearing.

Iruka-sensei didn't scold him as usual though, only rolling his eyes instead. He began calling out names, and Sakura tensed in nervous anticipation. She had never been all that good with interacting with her peers. Most of the girls still continued their cruel taunting, which never truly bothered her, she had faced much worse from her family, but it never endeared her to them either. The only person she could say with some degree of certainty was her friend was Hinata, and the two barely ever spoke. Would she truly be able to work with other people?

"Team Seven- Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto,"

 **Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I have a few things to say about it.**

 **One- I have no idea how no one in their class seemed to know about the Uchiha massacre in the series. It was a big event and people talk. So this was my solution.**

 **Two- Some people complained about me making Sakura weak again. I don't intend to have her be a weak character, but I also don't want to tread into Mary Sue territory. Sakura is different and has an entirely new set of good and bad traits now. And as for her parentage, its going to remain a mystery.**

 **Thank you to all those who have reviewed, I really do love hearing your feedback.**

 **Please review this chapter and let me know what you think!**

 **-Nyx**


	6. Cluster Luck

**Chapter 5: Cluster Luck**

" _You create your thoughts,_

 _your thoughts create your intentions_

 _and your intentions create_

 _your reality."_

 _-Wayne Dyer_

Sakura kept her face blank as her name was called along with Sasuke and Naruto's, but internally her stomach was rolling. She was to be placed on a team with the class clown who never took anything seriously, to the class recluse, who took everything a bit _too_ seriously. She was positive that the statistics of her survival rate had just plummeted.

"Ugh, why do I have to be on a team with the _teme_?" Naruto loudly whined. "Sakura-chan and I are so kick ass, being top of the class and all, that we would be fine by ourselves!"

Iruka-sensei rolled his eyes, "Naruto, contrary to your belief you are _not_ top of the class, the position belongs to Sasuke. _You_ in fact are _dead last_ in the class. We needed you two on a team to balance things out."

Naruto scowled and Sakura was fairly sure that if she turned around Sasuke would be grimacing. But she did not care for their reactions, as she was too busy trying to figure out the subtext. If Naruto's underachievement and Sasuke's overachievement balanced things out, than where exactly did that leave her? She had always been one of the top students in academics, and ever since the female portion of the class decided that diets and hairstyles were more important than learning to stay alive, she had thought she was near the top in physical activities too. But Iruka-sensei hadn't mentioned her, so perhaps not…

Sakura bit her lip and tried to will herself not to be upset… This was a _good_ thing. Impersonating someone average when really being exemplary was extremely tactical. It would only help enemies underestimate her. But _was_ she an exemplary student?

She had worked _so_ hard, trained _so_ much, and she had thought her hard work had paid off… Perhaps her enemies wouldn't be underestimating her- perhaps she just wasn't a challenge? Sakura shook the silly thoughts out of her head- she didn't even _have_ any enemies at the present.

By the time she refocused on Iruka-sensei the rest of the teams had been named. Sakura's eyes scanned the teams, trying to decipher why the Hokage would think certain people would mesh well together- what he would hope to accomplish from their teamwork? Some of them where simple to figure out- Hinata's team complied of people that were suited to tracking- future Hunter-nins in the making, while Ino's team was perhaps interrogation... She knew that Shikamaru, Choji and Ino all had blood limits, but she wasn't close enough to ask them about the details, or even if they had inherited them yet. Some of the other teams, like her own seemed to have neither rhyme or reason… at least no discernable ones.

Sakura also suppressed an unhappy frown as she noticed a large number of her female classmates, especially the ones who were very vocal in their devotion to Sasuke, scowling at her. She resisted the impulse to role her eyes at their pettiness. Its not like she _chose_ to be on a team with him…

The door opened, and everyone straightened up. A fair skinned woman with unruly black hair and glowing red eyes glided in the classroom. Her frighteningly beautiful eyes scanned the entire classroom before they settled on Hinata. Sakura watched her only friend shake for a moment.

"I am Yuhi Kurenai. Team Eight please follow me," the woman said, her voice pleasantly husky.

Everyone watched as their three classmates left. And within the next half an hour Sakura watched as more and more of her peers left with some very colorful looking jounin-sensei's- one who was even _smoking_ in the school. Lunch passed by and Sakura remain rooted in her spot. And the numbers crept down until at last it was only Naruto, Sasuke, and her left. After a half an hour passed with just the three of them and Iruka-sensei, Sakura slowly felt the nervous anticipation leave her system. Annoyance at her new sensei's lack of punctuality replaced it.

More time trickled away and Sakura could feel Naruto's eyes boring into her. But she was long passed impassively staring at the front of the classroom and instead was reading an advanced user guide on how to manipulate a whip with different elemental jutsus. She didn't know what Sasuke was doing, and hadn't cared enough to look up from her chapter on how to tunnel wind jutsu into a whip to make a small hurricane. But as the hours started to tick by, the pages in her book dwindled.

And when she turned the last page, Iruka-sensei coughed, gathering her attention. "I need to head to my next class. I trust you all can wait here without getting into trouble," he stressed the last bit solely to Naruto.

Naruto's cherub lipped and whiskered cheek smirk fooled no one, but Iruka-sensei left the classroom anyways.

"Maah, this is _so_ boring!" Naruto whined, barely a moment after the door closed.

"Would you like to borrow one of my scrolls?" Sakura said, wincing at her offer (she knew Naruto was not one to take care of his things), but also knowing that he would most likely reject it. Which he promptly did.

Nose scrunched up slightly, "No thanks Sakura-chan." He slumped back in his seat again for a moment and Sakura decided to cast her attention to her other teammate.

Sasuke was sitting ramrod straight in his chair, eyes fixated on the door. She was sure he noticed her attention, but he chose not to acknowledge it. And she inwardly sighed. Though Naruto may be the world's biggest goof, she at least knew that she could get along with him… She was not sure she could say the same about her Uchiha teammate. Once upon a time, maybe, but now, with his icy persona, it was a toss up.

"I know, lets play a prank! Our sensei deserves it for being so late!" Naruto exclaimed, springing from his chair.

This time her sigh made it past her lips. Naruto was a human whirlwind, no matter what he was doing. But she had no desire to become an accessory to some poorly thought out trick.

"I don't think that's the best idea Naruto-san," Sakura said, knowing that her protest would be futile in his mind.

But as predicted, Naruto continued with his half- cocked plan. Half nervous and half disapproving, Sakura watched as Naruto scrambled over to the blackboard and found the two largest erasers. She only hoped that whoever their sensei was, he or she wouldn't think that she had any part of this.

"Dobe, our sensei is a _jounin_ \- an elite shinobi. He is never going to fall for a stupid trick like that," Sasuke said, finally breaking his silence.

Naruto blew a raspberry at him and continued his work of pushing his chair against the door, and placing the brushes precariously on the slightly ajar ledge. He chuckled to himself as he got down from the chair and moved it back behind his desk.

And Sakura couldn't help but agree with Sasuke- no shinobi worth their salt would enter a room without checking it out for traps first. And even if Naruto's trap wasn't a deadly one, it was an obvious one.

But both Sasuke and Sakura were both proven wrong as they watched the door slowly open and a tall man with shocking silver hair walk through. And as soon as the door was opened wide enough, the two erasers promptly fell atop his thick hair, surrounding his face in a cloud of chalky haze.

Naruto broke out in full- bellied obnoxious laughter, and even Sakura had to hastily bite her lip to prevent the giggles from escaping. It wouldn't do her well to make a bad first impression. She caught a peek of Sasuke's stunned look. Apparently their jounin sensei was either a bit dim, or clearly didn't anticipate them to big a big enough threat to even warrant examining his surroundings. She would bet on the latter.

Once the dust subsided, Sakura finally got a clear look at his face. Or rather she got a clear look at the outline of it, as the man was covered almost head to toe. Three quarters of his face was veiled by a navy cotton mask and one eye was similarly hidden by his forehead protector. Sakura vaguely wondered how he managed to secure it on his face without it slipping.

In a somewhat lackadaisical motion, the man's head finally turned to face them. His one dark eye lazily took each of them in, and Sakura tilted her head as it met her. She had a feeling that his carefree attitude was camouflaging a cold, hard, _calculating_ mind.

A gloved finger absently tapped at his covered lips, "my first impression of you three is…"

She felt her stomach clench.

"…I don't like you."

Her eyes narrowed briefly. How could their new sensei not like them _already_? He hadn't even been in their presence for five minutes! And while Sakura figured that he very much knew _who_ they were and where their strengths and weaknesses lied, he didn't know anything about their character… She watched as he studied their reactions to his proclamation. Naruto's outraged indignation, Sasuke's unimpressed silence, and her… her what? She straightened her spine, it didn't matter if this man liked her- he didn't need to _like_ her, he needed to _teach_ her.

"Lets go to the roof and introduce ourselves, shall we?" the man said, halfway out the door before his statement was finished.

Naruto hastily scrambled out of his seat and lopped after the man like an orange clad puppy, while Sasuke, as elegant as ever rose from his seat, much like a haughty house cat. Sakura trailed behind the two silently, her eyes, like the other two, fixated on the man.

Once they reached the roof, their new sensei quickly arranged himself on the ground, legs crossed. The three students followed suit facing him.

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourselves, hobbies- likes, dislikes, goals… that sort of thing," the man finally said, sounding as if he would much rather be somewhere else or napping than listening to them.

"Why don't _you_ start?" Naruto said, voice accusing. "I mean for all we know you're not even our real sensei! You probably kidnapped him, that's why you're so late!"

Sakura's eyes flitted over to Naruto, torn between disbelief and shock. His theory was half ludicrous and half plausible. If someone wanted to infiltrate the village and take a hostage, the academy on a day like today would be a prime place. Her eyes flickered back to the man, sharply appraising his masked form again.

"If I were here to kill you, I would have done so by now. And if I were to kidnap you, I also would be at least at the border by this time," the man replied, but Sakura was sure she detected amusement in his voice. She forced her tense muscles to relax.

"I'll answer anyways. My name is Hatake Kakashi and I am a jounin of Konoha." He tapped the leaf symbol on his forehead protector and Sakura felt like an idiot for believing Naruto's wild theory for a minute. "There are things that I like, and things that I'm not particularly fond of… As for dreams…" he made a non-committal sound and Sakura had to repress the urge to roll her eyes indecently.

He had effectively told them _nothing_ about himself, which in a way was also _very_ telling. That coupled with the mask screamed 'boundary issues.' He tilted his head towards a squawking Naruto, "you next!"

Naruto grumbled for a moment before perking up. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like, no I _love_ ramen- all kinds of ramen. Iruka-sensei bought me ramen at Ichiraku and it was my favorite."

Sakura's brow lifted- she always had the impression that Iruka-sensei wasn't fond of Naruto… and that was putting it lightly.

"As for dislikes…" his blues eyes darted over to Sasuke, "I dislike when people disrespect me! And my dream is to be the next Hokage and for everyone to acknowledge me! Believe it!"

Their new sensei didn't seem particularly surprised by Naruto's enthusiasm, but then again, his mischievous nature was well known to Konoha law enforcement. He lazily turned toward Sakura who was seated directly in front of him. "And how about our lone female?"

Sakura pondered on the questions for a moment.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I enjoy meditating and reading. I dislike shallow people. My dream is…" she furrowed her brows- how did she describe her dream? She wanted to be a powerful shinobi. Not for the fame or for her family to acknowledge her, but so she could do great things. "-to protect my village as valiantly as those in the past did, I suppose."

She figured that was a safe enough answer. Nothing that would draw too much attention to herself. A simple answer for a simple girl. For she hadn't quite worked out whether or not standing out would be worth the potential negative attention. Than again, did she want to be one of the shinobi slinking about in the shadows or a front line powerhouse? She thought she knew the answer to that question well enough.

When she refocused on her sensei, he was staring at her and the intensity of his lone dark eye betrayed his lazy posture.

"You're Tsukino Mebuki's daughter, correct?" he finally said, after a tense moment.

Sakura wasn't sure why exactly he was asking. Surely the name of her parents was listed in a file that he no doubt had about her… But she was also reigning in her surprise- she had never heard her mother's maiden name before. She nodded her head.

"Your mother was one of the top infiltration specialists in Konoha. The Hokage was sad to see her retire," Kakashi- sensei said.

Sakura kept silent. She didn't know what the appropriate reaction should be. Normal shinobi parents probably told their children what position they held within the village, at least she would assume they did. But Sakura's mother hadn't wanted this life for her and therefore kept all of her past regarding being kunoichi hidden. And also her mother had retired to _give birth_ to her. She settled making a noncommittal noise.

Kakashi-sensei eyed her for another moment before moving onto Sasuke. "And yourself?"

Sasuke seemed to draw himself up, as if he were ready to address a grand speech. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I dislike a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything." His dark eyes became glazed as he continued, "I have no dream, but I do have an ambition- to restore my clan and kill…a certain _man_."

Sakura resisted the urge to fidget. Sasuke had just turned this whole icebreaker exercise from seventy-five percent uncomfortable to one hundred and ten percent uncomfortable. And for a boy that had just spent the last four years isolating himself from others, he had just allowed the three a startling insight into his psyche. She tore her gaze away from her now stony eyed teammate and back to her new sensei.

"So sensei, what will our first mission be? Will we be guarding a princess? Rescuing people from evil missing nin?" Naruto asked, practically bouncing in his seat.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, in a seemingly bashful manner. "Well technically you are not allowed to go on missions yet…"

Sakura's eyes narrowed again, and she could feel Sasuke straighten up beside her.

"WHAT? Why not?" Naruto yelped.

"Did the academy instructors fail to mention that the exams only pass _potential_ genin candidates? Over forty of you graduated, only nine of you will become genin," Kakashi explained, glad that his mask covered his grin.

Sakura felt her breath catch in her chest- _not be shinobi_? That was simply not an option- she had worked too hard.

Naruto's face was the perfect picture of horror, "But that's like a-"

"-sixty- six percent fail rate, yes it is Naruto," Kakashi airily finished. "So tomorrow we will begin survival training at six a.m. on training ground three. If you manage to pass by the end of the day than you become true genin." He stretched as he got to his feet. "Oh and don't eat any breakfast- I wouldn't want you to puke." And with that final word he was gone in a puff of smoke.

Sakura was rooted to the spot, staring at the now vacated air. It felt like a million thoughts were running through her head, competing for attention. The possibility that she would fail- statistically speaking was high, but _NO_ , she wouldn't, _couldn't_ … Growling under her breath at the vagueness of 'survival training' she rose to her feet. Sasuke and Naruto looked up at her.

"Where are you going Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned, hoping to his feet too.

Dusting off her backside, she looked at her two teammates- or where they competitors? Did they fail or pass as individuals or as a team… frustration welled within her. "I'm going home to prepare."

Sasuke nodded his head as if he agreed.

"Prepare, how?" Naruto asked, attentive blue eyes boring into her.

"I'm sure I'll figure that out by the time I get there," Sakura answered. And if she had bothered looking back as she left she would have noticed the slightly stunned looks on the two boys faces.

Running home Sakura tried to figure out what a good plan of action would be… She definitely knew that she wanted to mediate and train… but once again she didn't want to overdo it and be wrecked for tomorrow. _Survival training_ \- what exactly did that entail? Training implied that he was going to help them, but this was clearly a test… she pondered what scrolls she might have lying about her room that could be of use as she ran home.

Slightly out of breath, Sakura opened the door and was greeted by the sight of an vaguely familiar figure.

"Why look at you Sakura-chan, you have done so much growing since I last saw you!" the man said, showcasing a friendly smile.

He was an older man, but had clearly aged well. His salt and pepper hair and laugh lines suited his olive skin, and dark eyes. His expensive clothes hinted at wealth, but the rich scarlet silk declared him a Haruno. And normally that in alone meant trouble for her, but this man was going out of his way to look nonthreatening… which made Sakura feel even more on edge.

Still manners, were manners, so while her eyes searched for the familiar form of her mother, she pasted on a petite smile and bowed politely. Thankfully her mother seemed to have heard her silent plea, as she entered the room.

"Sakura you remember your Great Uncle Itsuki, don't you? Grandmother Satomi's younger brother?" Mebuki stated in a cajoling voice.

Truthfully, no she had not, but Sakura dutifully nodded her pastel head anyway.

"He and his business partners are having a dinner party with some potential clients here tonight, so if you could have dinner in your room that would be helpful."

Delicate false smile firmly in place Sakura nodded once again. "I hope you enjoy your evening Itsuki-sama."

The older man chuckled, and she could feel his eyes follow her figure up the stairs. Once she was at the top, Sakura let her smile fall. The stupid dinner party would put a wrench in her plans… On one hand she knew she needed to be trained and prepared for whatever her nonsensical sensei was going to throw at her… on the other hand if she was caught lifting even a senbon, let alone completing training exercises she would be in excruciating trouble with her father…

Scowling, she lightly trudged over to her desk, and attempted to quietly rummage through the pile scrolls and scattered notebooks. The scrolls were on lend from the academy and notebooks were a compilation of all the notes she made. And for such an organized individual- or at least Sakura liked to think she was, her room and desk in particular was a complete disaster… Just another thing Grandmother Satomi would scoff at if she knew.

It took the young girl the better part of an hour just to sort through scrolls on genjutsu. Another hour passed and her mother delivered her some ongiri. Time ticked away and her eyes dutifully went over old notes, trying to squeeze out any information that could help her. Even if she did have an eidetic memory, she never knew when something she had written would have its new uses. And as each hour flew by, the raucous laughter from downstairs grew louder and louder.

Eventually Sakura's eyes grew itchy and tired. She closed her final notebook, feeling as though she had accomplished _something_. Not nearly as much as she wanted to, but if she wound up having to treat an infected wound, find proper shelter, or mask her chakra she was confident she would be able to do so, amongst other things…

But even though her eyes were tired, her body was not ready for rest yet. Sakura had grown accustomed to always completing some form of taijutsu training or practice with her whip before falling into an exhausted sleep. But with the party well in swing downstairs, not to mention the hazardous results of practicing indoors, Sakura figured she would have to forgo it tonight. _Tonight of all nights_ … she sighed.

Changing into her a simple white nightgown, the girl decided to meditate before bed, and maybe practice masking her chakra a little… her sensei seemed fond of masks in any case. So she folded her legs up underneath her on top of her bed and retreated within herself. Breath steady, she examined all of the cords of her bright thrumming chakra. Watching in fascination as everything moved in harmony, her inner eye documenting what areas of her body had more concentrated clumps of energy. Her spiritual core, being the most concentrated area.

Masking chakra seemed like a simple concept, but it was much more complicated than it sounded. She needed to take every string of her chakra, every pocket, every clump and imagine them all being compressed into a tight ball- a tight _invisible_ ball within herself. And while that ball needed to be unseen, it also needed to be accessible.

Sakura's face contorted and sweat dripped down the back of her neck. While she found it fairly easy to manipulate her chakra, it was more difficult trying to mask it once it was all compressed together.

And Sakura was so focused on her task that she didn't even notice her door slowly opening and a figure slip through. It was only when the bed dipped down beside her that she abruptly jerked out of her meditative state, eyes springing open. Her pupils dilated fully against the blackness in her bedroom.

"I am sorry to have startled you Sakura-chan," the figure beside her said, his deep voice hushed.

Straightening herself up, Sakura scooted over a bit, confusion and apprehension warring within her. "Itsuki-sama? What are you doing here?"

"Shhh," he said, placing a thick finger against lips.

Unease began to coil in Sakura's gut.

"You have always been my favorite child in the family, did you know that?" Itsuki whispered, his hand brushing aside her hair. "Such a perfect little girl. Like a little doll."

A shudder ran down her spine. She was the _only_ little girl in the family. The rest of her cousins were boys. And most of the Harunos did not truly consider her family anyways.

His hand slipped down her spine, until it trailed over to her leg. Hot breath whispered in her ear, "but you're not really Kizashi's, so it's all right." And the hand that was on her leg began trailing upwards.

A million different scenarios warred in her mind as his large fingers worked their way up her inner leg.

She kept a few training kunai under her bed- they were blunt, but they would still work… she could dive for the door- she was younger and smaller, she would make it first… she could scream… she could duck and knock his head against the wall…

Her throat tightened and Sakura couldn't tell if it was because she was going to be sick.

" _Don't_ ," she whispered, but the word rang out oddly melodious.

That wasn't important, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that the hand that had almost made it to the apex of her thighs froze.

Sakura's bedroom door burst open. The light flooding into the room from the hallway caused her to squint and her great uncle to hastily jump away from her. Sakura could make out her mother standing in the doorway.

"Is there something you needed Itsuki-sama?" Mebuki asked, her voice unreadable.

Itsuki straightened himself out. "No I was just looking for the bathroom when I stumbled upon Sakura-chan. I figured I would see if she wanted me to tell her a bedtime story while I was here."

He smiled charmingly at Mebuki before sidestepping her and heading back out into the hall.

Sakura sat paralyzed. Her green eyes were glassy, but dry. Her throat still felt uncomfortably tight and the rest of her body felt exhausted.

The second that she could hear Itsuki's footsteps going down the stairs, Mebuki rushed forward and threw her arms around her daughter's small, motionless frame.

"Flower?" Mebuki asked, and for the first time Sakura thought she heard tears in her mother's voice.

"How did you know? How did you know he was- that _I_ was… in trouble?" Sakura asked, her voice unsteady. She watched her own hand shake in a peculiar fashion, unable to comprehend her body's reactions- unable to really _feel_ them.

Mebuki placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead, not wanting to show her daughter her fury or despair. "Your chakra flared."

Mebuki watched as her daughter nodded, but wasn't sure exactly if Sakura was listening.

"I'm tired mom," Sakura said, hating that her voice sounded so small- hating that her mind was a mix of confusion, horror, and loathing…

"Go to sleep flower, I'll be right here beside you, all night." Mebuki said, rubbing her daughter's back.

Sakura let her eyelids droop, but she knew sleep would be an elusive creature that night. Her mind was too busy… too busy with they questions… Why did he do that? Why did he visit? What was he doing? What was he _going_ to do? Why didn't I stop him sooner? Will he come back? What does he want? _Why me, why me, why me, why me_ ….

Survival training was the last thing on her mind.

 **Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Things are getting darker, and I hope you don't think I'm making Sakura into some miserable martyr! Everything has a purpose!**

 **Also, I am not going to follow the exact dialogue from either the manga or the anime. Yes, things I think are important will remain the same, and even certain events. But I think it would be pretty boring if I used everything word for word.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Your comments and feedback have no only helped my writing, but also keep me motivated!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think.**

 **-Nyx**


	7. Blood, Sweat, and Fears

**Chapter 6: Blood, Sweat, and Fears**

" _It all begins and ends_

 _in your mind._

 _What you give power to,_

 _has power over_

 _you."_

 _-anonymous_

Her head felt like it would be split in two if the ringing continued. It was a shrill noise that blared through her psyche like an invasive warning- _something is wrong, something is wrong, something is wrong_ … Burying her face deeper into her pillow, Sakura groaned, images of cruel dark eyes tinted with the promise of unspeakable things flickering through her mind. Her fingers clenched in her sheets before she pried her eyelids open. They were sticky with the remnants of unsatisfying dreams.

She rolled over and her blank green eyes stared at the unadorned ceiling- it wasn't a nightmare. That actually happened… Great Uncle Itsuki _actually_ … the words for his actions escaped her. He had done something much worse than just skim her inner thighs- he had stolen her peace of mind, her security. Movement from beside her caused Sakura to tilt her head. Her mother's prone figure reminded her that it could have been much worse. If she hadn't of come when she did… well Sakura didn't want to dwell on what the results would have been- what she _would_ have done…

"You should turn that off. You're father is still in the house; he won't like hearing it," Mebuki gently cautioned.

Sakura reached over to her windowsill where her vibrating alarm clock trilled and hit the off switch. Usually this particular instrument was placed on her nightstand, but her mother had insisted on sleeping between her and the door. It was an assertion that Sakura complied to with great relief.

The little hands announced that it was five a.m. and her gaze moved past the clock and out the window. The sun hadn't yet begun its ascent, birds were still quiet in their nests, and Sakura knew that the moment she stepped outside dew would cling to her open toes. The world was still seemingly asleep- but not for shinobi.

"You don't have to go you know," her mother said.

Sakura's eyes turned flinty. She was still _weak_ \- last night was more than enough proof of that. She needed to be stronger!

"I _want_ to go. Kakashi-sensei said we have to complete survival training before we can become real genin."

Sakura felt her mother stiffen for a moment, "Hatake Kakashi is your sensei?"

If she had been facing her mother than she would have been able to see the clear apprehension in her mother's blue eyes. But she wasn't and her mother's voice was deceptively calm.

"Yes. He is a bit of an odd man. He showed up three hours late and wears a mask that covers most of his face."

Mebuki made a non-committal noise, her thoughts racing.

Sakura made no notice of her mother's contemplation as she finally stretched herself out of bed. Usually she was a morning person, but after the events of last night her body felt heavy with fatigue. She was betting that if she looked in the mirror her eyes would be bloodshot and swollen, even though not a single tear was shed. Shaking off her weariness, she grabbed a pair of black training pants and a green shirt and headed to the bathroom.

Scalding hot water stung her skin, but Sakura reveled in it. She viciously scrubbed at her small body, making sure the remnants of Itsuki's touch dripped down the drain. When she stepped out of the shower her skin was achingly tight and as pink as her hair. Sakura ignored the foggy mirror and deeply inhaled the steam, trying it to clear her mind. She needed to _focus_.

But when she caught a glimpse at the clock as she headed to the garden, Sakura realized that she had lingered in the shower for far too long. She wouldn't be able to mediate or practice any taijutsu. Internally scowling and feeling far more under prepared than she was accustomed to, she grabbed her weapons and bento before running out the door.

The sun was finally beginning to peek over mountains as she made her way to training ground three. Mist clung to the damp ground, yet the lightening sky promised a warm day. But Sakura still felt as though a private storm cloud was hovering over her. Everything that had happened since her team was announced was lingering in her mind. And as much as she _knew_ she needed to be focused, the weight of everything was too big a distraction. She wished she had time to meditate- that way she could have achieved some form of inner harmony.

When she finally reached the training ground, only one of her teammates was there. Sasuke sat below a lone gnarled tree, mist hovering around his legs, making him look like the grim reaper. It was a comparison that she thought he would approve of.

Sasuke made no acknowledgement of her presence, but Sakura knew that he was aware of her company. The tensing of his muscles was a dead giveaway. And while she was all too happy to follow his lead of silently ignoring each other, he was to be her teammate. A person that she was supposed to trust with her life- how could she do that if she didn't have even the loosest sort of bond with him?

"Good morning Sasuke-san."

His pale face snapped up to look at her. Dark eyes narrowed briefly, as if assessing whether or not she was going to squeal before throwing herself at him. Sakura inwardly felt more than a little offended at the arrogant Uchiha- even if he had good reason to be wary around girls. Still, she had never been one of his mindless followers and she thought he had known that.

"Hn."

She internally scoffed and wondered if his manners died with his family. And then a wince tugged at her lips- that was cruel. But still, she was his teammate and even if that did not automatically equate friendship (something she had managed to be content living mostly without), it still required some form of relationship.

An uncomfortable silence polluted the air and Sakura was in too much of a poor mood to attempt to change it. Especially when she knew her efforts would not be appreciated. She slumped on the ground about a meter away from Sasuke and begun winding her now dry hair into a tight braid. She absently wondered if their sensei would be late again today.

Five minutes later an orange figure ran onto the grounds shouting, "I'M HERE! I'M HERE!"

Naruto skidded to a stop at the tree and bent over, panting. "I'm not late I swear!" he looked around in confusion, "Where's Kakashi-sensei?"

"Obviously not here," Sasuke drawled.

Naruto scowled at him, "I wasn't asking _you,_ teme!"

He turned to her in askance and Sakura could feel a migraine forming behind her left eye socket.

"Oh wow, Sakura-chan, you don't look so good!"

Sakura stiffened and had to fight the scowl that was threatening to appear. She viciously wondered if Naruto could go an entire day without committing some form of social blunder. And to make it even worse, she could have sworn she heard Sasuke quietly snort at his rude comment.

"I'm just a little tired Naruto-san, and it seems our sensei is not the most punctual man."

Naruto scowled, "Awe man, I can't believe I woke up this early _and_ broke my alarm clock and he hasn't even shown up!"

Neither Sasuke nor Sakura responded, and for the next three hours Naruto paced around the tree, groaning and griping about how tired and hungry he was. And when he finished his tirade, he would start in on what a lousy sensei Kakashi was.

Several times he attempted to lure her into conversation- much the same as she contemplated doing with Sasuke earlier that morning, but Sakura did not feel the need to join in his ranting. All she wanted was some peace and quiet- something that would never be achieved when the self- proclaimed 'future Hokage' was around.

"And I bet he isn't all that good anyways. I bet he wears that stupid mask because he is so embarrassed at how lousy of a shinobi he- _Sakura-chan_? Where are you going?"

"To meditate Naruto-san. I would like to attempt to clear my mind before our sensei arrives," Sakura replied, voice weary. She figured that if Kakashi-sensei wasn't showing up any time soon, she might as well make the most of her time.

Naruto's blue eyes were intent on her, "Oh, okay." His face suddenly turned bashful, "Well, have fun."

She smiled politely before moving away from him and Sasuke. Normally Sakura didn't like to mediate in front of people- it was too distracting. But her head was now pounding in agony. So she folded her legs and attempted to ignore her two spectators, focusing instead on her breathing and the steady thump of her heartbeat.

 _Inhale…exhale…inhale…exhale…_

It took longer than normal to relax into her fully meditative state, but once she did she was more than a little dismayed at what she found. Sakura already knew her mind was a chaotic mess this morning, but her body was reflecting that state too.

Her chakra reeked of disorder. Some strands were violently thrumming, while others, like the clump in her throat appeared dim and wilting. Usually after a strenuous workout some of the chakra gathered around her muscles would appear dimmer, before strengthening, but never to this bad an extent.

Her breath grew heavier in panic. This couldn't be happening- not now, not _today_. Today she needed to be in top form- ready for whatever her new sensei was going to throw at her. She needed to reorganize the pandemonium in her body before it completely took over her mind.

So Sakura attempted to visualize all of the negative energy that was festering in her soul- the fear, anger, shame, and panic. In her mind's eye it was like a swirling black mass- a tumor that could not be allowed to linger, lest it grow cancerous with all of her more harmful emotions. So she shoved the smoky heap into the furthest recesses of her mind.

Two hands suddenly gripped her shoulders, "Sakura-chan? _Sakura_? Are you okay?"

Sakura's eyes snapped open the moment Naruto's fingers made contact with her body and she had to fight off the alarmingly ferocious impulse to flip him over and pin him to the ground. She felt cold sweat trickle down the back of her neck and her heart raced as his blue eyes bore into hers.

"I'm fine."

She looked past Naruto to see Sasuke staring at her with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"You started breathing really heavy, and shaking a little. Teme thought you were having a seizure!"

Sasuke scoffed, "I didn't say that."

Naruto swung around, "You were just as freaked out as me!"

Sakura grimaced- she was making a terrible impression to her new teammates. They probably thought she was either ill or crazy- both traits that no one would want in a shinobi teammate. And she did not want them to think she was a weak link.

"Hn."

"What does that even mean?" Naruto growled, rounding on Sasuke.

"It means you're delusional."

"Teme!"

But than again their incessant bickering wasn't exactly endearing either of them to her either.

"Get out of my face _dobe_ ," Sasuke snarled.

Naruto, clearly gearing for a fight leaned in even closer, " _Make me_ teme!"

"Are you two about to kiss?" a new voice suddenly said from behind the two.

Three heads whipped over to see Kakashi-sensei standing with his head tilted curiously as he looked at Naruto and Sasuke. "Because I've read a scene almost identical to this one, and the two people ended up kissing…"

Naruto squawked and jumped away from Sasuke, his face the picture of outrage. "Kakashi-sensei, how could you say _that_? I would _never_ do that with the teme! That's just-" he stuttered incoherently for a moment, before an even bigger scowl spread on his face. "Hey- where have _you_ been! We have been waiting here for hours! You said to show up at six o'clock!"

Kakashi absently rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah well, I was on my way here when a black cat crossed me. So naturally I had to take another route…"

Sakura scoffed- she had always been raised with impeccable manners, despite her family not granting her the same courtesy. And it appeared as if her new sensei was completely lacking them if he was always tardy without even the shame to think of a plausible explanation.

Sasuke remained non-pulsed at the flimsy excuse, while Naruto's furious blue eyes roved over Kakashi's covered face for a moment, as if a clue to his insincerity would pop out of the cotton.

"I don't believe you!" Naruto hotly declared.

Kakashi hummed before stepping around Naruto and over to the three posts mounted in the ground. He placed an alarm clock on top of the centre post.

He then pulled two little bells attached to his flack jacket up. "Your survival training is this: you three each have to steal one of the bells from me." He pushed a button on the alarm clock, "You will have one hour to do so. Fail to capture a bell and you will not get to eat any lunch. Instead, you will enjoy the view from one of these posts while I enjoy mine."

Sasuke's stomach growled loudly and everyone turned to look at him. His pale face flushed lightly, causing Naruto to throw back his head in laughter. Sasuke shot him a glare, but Sakura's eyes were fixed on something else.

"Sensei?"

"Yes Sakura-chan?"

"Why are there only two bells?"

"There are only two bells because only two of you can pass this test. The person that fails will go back to the academy, or all three of you could fail and go back. It's a test that helps weed out the weak from the strong. And the only way you can win against _me_ is to attack me with killing intent."

He explained all this in an infuriatingly nonchalant manner.

Sakura grit her teeth- she had read all about killing intent. If one could channel their own than it was a powerful tool used to stun opponents into a petrified state… But Kakashi-sensei was a _jounin_ ; three genin candidates shouldn't even faze him. And besides, the killing intent radiated from a twelve year old would do more harm in announcing their whereabouts than scaring a jounin stiff.

Naruto made a funny little growling sound in the back of his throat before quickly launching himself at Kakashi-sensei, kunai raised high. And while Naruto's speed and gusto were impressive, Sakura was not at all surprised when Kakashi inevitably thwarted his attack. Naruto was spun around with his own weapon pointed at the back of his neck before any of them could blink.

"Don't be so hasty," Kakashi-sensei chided a struggling Naruto. "Those who tend to act first without thinking _always_ fail."

After finally letting Naruto go, Kakashi studied the three, "Oh, and just to let you know, I've never managed to have any genin candidates pass the bell test before." His mask tilted up in the unmistakable form of a smirk. "Begin!"

Sakura did not need to be told twice. She darted off towards a nearby clump of shrubbery without a backward glance at Naruto and Sasuke- her _competition_. The bush was ideal hiding spot, as she was small enough to crawl underneath, and the branches were dense enough to both cover her bright colors and block her from incoming weapons.

Once she felt comfortably camouflaged, Sakura inhaled deeply and searched for her chakra. It was difficult to do with her eyes open, but there was no way she was closing them when such an advanced opponent was close. Balling her chakra tightly together, Sakura bit her lip and concealed it.

She just managed to hear Kakashi's low chuckle over the shouts of the many Narutos. But she wasn't sure if it was meant for her or one of Naruto's many over zealous shadow clones being poofed out of existence.

She frowned and she watched the scene from her hiding spot, wondering when Naruto became able to complete a shadow clone jutsu? And how on earth Naruto had managed to gain enough chakra to make so many? She bit down on her lip harder, tasting blood. Even if Naruto's strategy was non-existent, he was clearly a much bigger opponent than she expected.

Shaking her head, she took her eyes off the two. She needed a plan. Clearly Kakashi-sensei could manage perfectly well in an ambush. And even if Naruto didn't possess an ounce of finesse, having over thirty of him running at you was no laughing matter. Yet her lazy sensei had barely looked up from his book.

Sakura knew that she didn't have a hope in hell at beating him at ninjutsu. Just the effort from concealing her chakra made her feel weak, so that ruled that out. So that left her with only one option: a weapon based attack.

Carefully and quietly, Sakura dug a hand into her weapons pouch, eyes never leaving Kakashi. As she withdrew a kunai, she wiggled herself out of the bush, cursing every twig snap and leaf rustle. She crept closer, unwinding her whip from around her waist. Sharp eyes studied her opponent, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

And once Kakashi was fully focused on the dozens of Narutos running out of the water at him, Sakura finally darted forward. With a practiced flick of her wrist, her whip uncoiled and wrapped around Kakashi's waist, pinning his arms to his sides. Ignoring the gaping Naruto clones, Sakura tugged the whip, letting Kakashi's heavier set body fling her towards him. And once she was close enough, her kunai slit an arch towards the two dangling bells.

But as soon as the blade made contact with the apparent string, smoke clouded her vision and burned her nostrils. She ducked to the ground and fought the urge to scream in frustration as a wooden log lay where the 'not Kakashi' was standing. It was a substitution jutsu all along!

"Wow Sakura-chan, that was awesome!" one of the many Narutos stated. The rest of them all nodded and offered goofy grins.

Sakura scowled at him, aggravated with her own failure. Where the hell could the real Kakashi be? Her eyes then roved over all the Naruto clones- he couldn't… he _could_. Sakura was willing to bet every one of her scrolls that Kakashi was posing as one of the Naruto clones… But simply attacking all of the clones until she found out which one was him was not an option- or at least a poor option. For one, Kakashi would see her coming a mile away and secondly she wasn't all too sure what the policy was on attacking teammates, but it was probably frowned upon.

Glaring nastily at the assembled clones, Sakura ran back over to the shrubs. And just as she nestled herself back amongst the branches she heard the sound of metal hitting metal- two kunai locked in battle. And judging by the lack of screaming, it wasn't Naruto attacking Kakashi this time- it was Sasuke. He was probably her biggest threat right now…

Shaking her head Sakura crept out of the bushes and towards the gnarled tree. She didn't want Kakashi to think she was predictable and look for her in her previous hiding spot. And as she ducked behind the decrepit bark, she noticed an alarming silence on the training grounds. Sasuke had either managed to get a bell, or was defeated.

Mind racing, Sakura inhaled deeply. Options flashed through her brain- she could try a shuriken barrage; or aim senbon for some of the central nerves in his body; or disguise herself, just like Kakashi did…

Exhaling, Sakura decided. She quickly ran through the hand seals trying to keep a good grip on concealing her chakra. It wouldn't do any good to be wearing Naruto's face, while showcasing her own chakra signature. The tingling of her spiritual energy signified that her transformation was a success. Hoping that Naruto and his many clones were still lurking around Kakashi and not knocked out, Sakura turned around and was immediately surrounded by a peculiar mist.

Startled, she stepped back, knocking herself into the tree and letting go of her jutsu. Wide eyes watched as the mist warped together in the form of a person. Transparent mist soon gained solidity and color, and Sakura felt cold horror rush down her spine as green eyes clashed with the brown of Great Uncle Itsuki's. Memories of the previous night rushed through her mind-

 _Cold but sharp eyes, looking at her the way a hunter looks at its pray. Hot breath reeking of sake brushing over her neck as he leaned in closer and whispered about her illegitimacy. Dry fingers burning a trail up thigh, until they reached-_

"NO!" Sakura snarled, and without thinking grabbed her kunai and thrashed it through the image. Breathing heavily, she watched as the mist dissipated before being absorbed in the ground. _Genjutsu_.

Bile burned up her throat and Sakura bent over dry heaving. When the violent tremors finally stopped, shaky hands cupped her head. She couldn't dwell on this- on _him_. She needed to be focused, or she would-

The sound of the alarm clock blaring cut off her train of thought. Her nausea returned- the hour was up- she had _failed_.

Wiping the sticky trail of saliva off her chin, Sakura stepped out from behind the tree and saw Sasuke heading towards Kakashi covered in dirt, while Naruto was tied to a fencepost. And as she approached the trio, Sakura felt Kakashi's lone eye burning into her.

"Awe sensei, you're not really going to eat in front of us are you?" Naruto whined from his post.

"No, Naruto. Unfortunately I am going to eat my lunch while I head to the Hokage tower to let him know that the three of you failed." Kakashi-sensei answered.

Sakura hunched over, shame and self- loathing warring within her. She had worked so hard to get here, only to _fail_.

"Sasuke, Sakura, you two can go ahead and eat your lunches, but _do not_ under any circumstance give any food to Naruto. It's his punishment for trying to sneak food early."

Sakura didn't even bother to nod as she watched the silver haired man walk towards the bridge. Walking away with her crushed dreams in his hand…

Her head only snapped up when something nudged at her arm. Sasuke was holding her bento out without looking in her direction. Murmuring her thanks, Sakura opened the stuffed bento. Her stomach protested even looking at all the food, half of which was packed for Naruto. And on queue, Naruto's stomach loudly gurgled.

Standing to her feet, Sakura walked over to Naruto, "Here, you can have it all today. I'm not hungry."

Wide blue eyes stared at her uncomprehendingly, "But Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei said-"

"I know what he said," she interrupted. "But that hardly matters now that we all failed. And besides you are hungrier than I am."

Naruto's eyes dimmed a bit when she mentioned 'failure', but he blushed as she held out a rice ball.

"The dobe is going to choke if you feed him like that," Sasuke said, before getting to his feet.

Sakura watched as he walked behind the post and withdrew his kunai. Naruto tensed for a moment, before falling to the ground with an 'ooof,' the ropes holding him cleanly cut. He scowled at Sasuke, but perked up again as he scooted closer to Sakura and grabbed the rice ball.

"You're not going to eat _all_ her food are you?" Sasuke scoffed, as Naruto stuffed his face.

Naruto scowled, but his comically bulging cheeks ruined the menacing affect.

Sasuke sighed and offered Sakura a cherry tomato, "So you at least have something."

Sakura accepted the fruit even though her stomach protested at the thought. And just as she bit into it, juices dribbling down her lip, the sky dramatically darkened and a chill crawled up her spine.

" _Just what do you three think you're doing_?" a menacing voice questioned from behind them.

Sakura whirled around, twisting her whip around her hand. Sasuke and Naruto both flanked her as Kakashi descended upon them, thunder and lightening following in his wake. An intense wave of malice swept through her- and she realized that this was what killing intent felt like.

"Didn't I tell you not to feed Naruto? You three…" he chuckled, the sound like nails on a chalkboard, " _pass_!"

 **Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And I hope you liked my take on the bell test!**

 **Just to answer a question that has been popping up quite a bit. I don't think/intend kunoichis to be glorified prostitutes. But I do however think that the gender disparity in Naruto is more than a little alarming. So having only women complete the type of missions involving sex doesn't surprise me.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts/questions/concerns!**

 **-Nyx**


	8. Hunting and Gathering

**Chapter 7: Hunting and Gathering**

" _People have a hard_

 _time letting go of_

 _their suffering._

 _Out of fear of the unknown,_

 _they prefer suffering_

 _that is familiar."_

 _-Thich Nhat Hanh_

The moment the word 'pass' crossed Kakashi-sensei's masked lips Sakura felt a strange combination of both relief and _anger_. How dare the man make them worry like that? How dare he let them think their future goals were for naught? Her spine straightened with righteous indignation, but her stomach was positively writhing with the combination of nausea and blooming excitement.

She quickly cast a glance at her teammates to see how they were taking the news. Peeking to the left, she noticed Sasuke's haughty smirk- as if he had expected Kakashi's declaration all along. Naruto on the other hand was much more vocal about his enthusiasm.

" _Shinobi! Shinobi! Shinobi!_ I am a _shinobi_!" Naruto chanted as he danced about.

"Yes, Naruto, you are now officially a genin," Kakashi-sensei drawled. "But do any of you know _why_ I decided to pass you?"

Sakura chewed on her lip for a moment. Perhaps Kakashi-sensei realized on his walk to the Hokage Tower how talented they were? Naruto after all did produce multiple shadow clones, and Sasuke had always been an exemplary student in the academy, so surely whatever tactics he applied were impressive.

And as for herself… Sakura frowned. She knew that she had not performed to the best of her ability. Her skill with a whip was notable, and she did manage to mask her chakra, thus hiding herself well. But she had not attempted any truly remarkable offensive maneuvers, and no display of ninjutsu at all…

But perhaps her teammates _had_ managed to impress their lazy sensei and he changed his mind, not wanting to hinder their future. She bit down on her lip harder.

"Because we are totally awesome! Believe it!" Naruto practically shouted.

Kakashi-sensei made a noise that was akin to a sign, "Not exactly, Naruto."

Kakashi's lone eye focused in on the orange clad boy. "Naruto, you displayed absolutely no subtly, which is not a good trait for a nin. Instead of planning an attack, you simply charged and hoped for the best. _You_ need to work on using your head and not just blindly rushing into things. If I were a real enemy, you would be _dead_."

"Tch, dobe," Sasuke scoffed from beside Sakura.

Naruto's entire body swung around, blue eyes narrowed, "What was that teme?"

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge Sasuke." Kakashi said, interrupting what was sure to be another bickering match. "You too had your faults. You're arrogant and have tunnel vision. I admit your skills are impressive, but impatience and over confidence led to an easy defeat."

"Hah- take that you _arrogant_ teme!"

Sasuke's lips thinned slightly, but otherwise he displayed no outward reaction. Nothing to tell of disappointment, humiliation, or humbleness. Nothing to even hint at the annoyance Sakura was sure he was feeling towards Naruto's needling.

Sakura sat up straighter when Kakashi's eye landed on her. "And finally you, Sakura. You're strategy was good, I will admit. And your skill with the whip was unexpected. But you were easy prey to one of the most basic genjutsus. One that I know is taught at the Academy."

Sakura could feel her throat tighten as she remembered the misty version of Great Uncle Itsuki towering over her. _Dark eyes, hot breath, trailing fingers_ … She shook the thoughts away.

If she was going to be a capable shinobi, let alone a _good_ one than she needed to get over the incident. Being paralyzed with the repulsive combination of fear and disgust would only grant an enemy the advantage. She couldn't succumb to this _weakness_ …

"Yes sensei," she replied, trying hard to ignore both Sasuke and Naruto's eyes boring into her.

Kakashi's dark eye narrowed for a moment, before he straightened out of his relaxed posture. "Each of you failed to recognize what the true lesson behind the bell test was- _teamwork_. If you had worked together from the beginning than I am confident you all would have passed, even with the restrictions I listed. There is a reason that shinobi are placed in teams. And each of you need to learn how to work with each other."

"Not all shinobi work in teams," Sasuke countered and Sakura noticed his fist clenched in his lap.

Kakashi gazed at him in silence for a moment. "That's true, some shinobi are sent on solo missions. But for the most part nin work better in teams. Your teammates can make up for your weakness and you can add to their strengths. The reason I passed you is because you all just demonstrated teamwork in giving Naruto lunch."

Sakura felt a dull sort of bewilderment at his statement. She had passed the bell test and become a genin because she had given Naruto _lunch_? Nothing to do with their potential, or how impressive they were, or Konoha believing in second chances. Just a riceball…

Without saying another word, Kakashi-sensei turned and started walking towards the training ground's exit.

"Hey, where are you going?" Naruto called after him.

"I'm going to show you three something very important. Do try and keep up."

Sakura followed behind an exuberant Naruto, who was practically nipping at Kakashi's heels like a puppy. Her emotions were having a rogue battle inside her to decide whether she felt happy, embarrassed, or relieved. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was _determined_. She would work harder, become _better_.

"What did you see?" a quiet voice from behind her asked.

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Sasuke's permanently intense eyes staring at her.

"What do you mean?" she inquired, internally hoping that he wouldn't ask the question she dreaded.

Sasuke fell into step beside her. "I _saw_ you. When you were behind the tree, cloned as Naruto. I saw Kakashi's genjutsu hit you. So, what did you see?"

Sakura kept her face as blank as she would while experiencing one of Grandmother Satomi's insult tirades. She kept her eyes on the two figures ahead of her. "That's a bit of a personal question, don't you think?"

She caught a glimpse of Sasuke's appraising look out of her peripherals.

"I suppose. But we are _teammates_ after all. Like Kakashi said, your weaknesses-"

Sakura flinched noticeably at the word.

"-are my weaknesses. And I can't afford to be weak."

The look she shot her new teammate was _poisonous_. Sasuke's usually stoic expression actually morphed into shock at her venomous glare.

"Don't worry _teammate_ , I've got it covered. It won't happen again," Sakura practically spat.

Sasuke offered his own dower glare in response.

She internally fumed at the nerve the Uchiha had. He was an individual that practically had a 'keep out' sign nailed to his chest when it came to his private business and yet he dare interrogate her about her own? The genjutsu was meant to show an individual one of their worst fears, and Sasuke knew that… Surely his manners were not so unrefined that he would be able to understand what a faux-pas asking about it was…

"Well I'm glad to see you two are getting along so well," Kakashi-sensei said, drawing their attention.

He was standing in front of the shinobi memorial stone. Sakura had witnessed more than once a person visiting or even weeping over the engraved names.

"Hey sensei, where are we _going_?" Naruto questioned.

"We are actually here Naruto. On the stone in front of you are the names of Konoha's greatest shinobi heroes."

Sakura watched in mounting disbelief as Naruto's face lit up and he ran over to the stone. "Awesome! I'm going to be on this stone one day! Believe it!"

Green eyes watched as her sensei's figure hunched over. Sakura quickly debated with herself on whether or not she should tell Naruto that that stone was a monument to the dead, but decided that Kakashi-sensei must have brought them there for a purpose. He could explain how harsh reality was to the energetic blonde.

She looked to her right to see Sasuke standing stiff as a board, eyes frantically searching over the names. She wondered if he was looking for those of his family.

"Naruto," Kakashi-sensei began, his tone unusually serious compared to his normal drawl. "The names on the stone represent all the shinobi that have died in service to our village. They are heroes because they gave up their lives so we could live peacefully."

Naruto's enthusiasm wilted into uncharacteristic somberness, but he made no move to back away from the stone. Instead blue eyes took in the names with a more respectful light.

"The names of my old teammates are on that stone. My best friend's name is on that stone," Kakashi continued.

He turned and his dark eye somberly took in the freshly minted Team Seven. "I am going to tell you something- something that is regarded as controversial in most shinobi villages, but I want you to take this to heart. You have been taught that nothing is more important than the mission- your morals, your safety, even your lives. And in many ways that's true."

Sakura inwardly agreed with his statement. Even if the instructors at the academy tried to instill the seriousness of being a shinobi into their students, they still tended to skim over the more gruesome details of what that could entail. But Sakura had researched and read in between the lines enough to understand what everyone glossed over. Shinobi died, or were left behind for the sake of their missions. It was reality.

"Those who break the rules are scum. _But_ those who turn their backs on, or leave their teammates behind are even worse than scum."

Sakura's eyes widened at Kakashi's contentious, almost _treasonous_ speech.

"Missions are important. They are important for keeping our village safe- but _nothing_ is worth your teammate's lives. While together, Team Seven will be your family, and no one sacrifices _family_ ," Kakashi said, voice impassioned.

And for perhaps the millionth time that day, Sakura felt shock enter her system… Team Seven was to be _family_? But she already had a family… Granted not a very accepting, or loving, or even close family. But they were family all the same. And Sakura wasn't sure if she wanted Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, or Sasuke treating her like the Haruno clan did. She wanted them to think she was a strong kunoichi, not a doormat to cruel words and false-superiority.

She looked over to see how her new 'family' members were reacting to Kakashi's declaration.

Naruto seemed as if he was torn between disbelief, excitement, and uncertainty. He shot Sasuke a grumpy look, but his whiskered cheeks lifted when his blue eyes clashed with her green.

Sasuke on the other hand was standing stock still, and his already pale face looked as if it had gone even paler. Dark eyes that were always so unreadable looked full of pain in the brief glimpse she caught.

"If you do not think you can abide by that rule, than I am sorry, you cannot be a genin…at least not in my team." Kakashi somberly stated.

Naruto in an uncharacteristic show of seriousness said, "I can do that." He blushed slightly, "it will be nice to have a family."

 _If only he knew_ …

Sasuke remained silent, but nodded sharply in ascent. Sakura figured that he would sell his own kidneys to become a shinobi, so agreeing to this temporary family, even superficially was worth it.

And Sakura couldn't help but agree with what she was sure the raven- haired boy was thinking. Because family had never been something that inspired warm feelings within her. And if she were to grow close to any of them and they died, it would be _devastating_.

But at the same time, she was determined to become a shinobi. And the path to her future greatness lied with these people. So she would accept them as her teammates, and maybe even form a tentative friendship. But they would _never ever_ befamily. She wouldn't let them.

"That sounds acceptable," Sakura agreed, wondering at the ominous feeling in her gut.

Kakashi's eye crinkled in a sure sign of a hidden smile. "Good. Now take the rest of the day off. Train, rest, work on your hobbies… We will meet on the bridge tomorrow morning at the same time."

And with an almost condescending wiggle of his fingers, Kakashi-sensei was gone in a poof of silver smoke.

Sakura stared at the spot that Kakashi had been standing. For all that family members scorned or academy instructors praised her on her observational skills, she had seriously misjudged the man. Sakura had figured that he was a type of lone wolf- his mask and lazy disposition only added to her theory. But he had just shared that he was more of a pack creature- fiercely devoting himself to his team and expecting the same from them in return. Sakura was not sure if she could fully commit to that though. She had always fancied herself a lone wolf too.

"So, Sakura-chan," Naruto slyly said, breaking her from her thoughts. "How about we go get dinner together? To celebrate being official genin teammates!"

Sakura didn't necessarily want to be the one to dull the earnest excitement in Naruto's blue eyes, but she had also just figured out the perfect way to spend her free time. _However_ , she was sure her other teammate would be happy enough to play the bearer of bad news, so…

"Shouldn't you be inviting Sasuke-san too then? He is our teammate too, after all."

Naruto's face twisted into a scowl, and Sasuke, who was heading towards the street paused.

"I suppose the teme _could_ come…" Naruto grumbled.

Sakura inwardly cursed, not anticipating Naruto actually extending his dinner invitation to his rival.

Sasuke turned around and looked at her and Naruto for a moment. "No thank you," he finally said, his words polite, but voice hard.

"Too good for us, eh teme? Well Kakashi-sensei doesn't think so!" Naruto growled, darting down the street after Sasuke.

Sakura dared to let a little smirk free. At least some things in life would always be predictable. And as annoying as her two teammate's bickering was, it would keep their thoughts from lingering too long on her. Which was a good thing.

She walked briskly to her destination not knowing how much time Sasuke's haughty demeanor would grant her before Naruto came back around looking for her. And even though a small part of her felt guilty, she had work to do. Naruto was a thick-skinned (and skulled) boy after all; he would shake off her disappearance. Besides, he did just leave her at the memorial stone right after issuing a dinner invitation, which was hardly polite…

Still, her conscious informed her that this was not a great way to begin forming bonds with her teammates. But as she pulled open the heavy doors to the Shinobi Library, Sakura figured it would be worth it. She needed information _now_. On one masked man in particular.

Walking over to the front desk, Sakura spotted a clearly bored brown haired chunin boy lounging on the clerk's desk. Exhilaration made her heart beat faster as each step drew her closer to the counter.

She had never been allowed in this library before- only registered shinobi could enter. And while Mizuki-sensei had given her scrolls from here before (something that she was sure was against the rules), she had never been allowed to peruse freely before.

The gangly chunin lazily flickered his eyes to her headband. "Proceed," he said, his attention already tuned back to a small orange book.

Sakura felt almost affronted at his lack of caution. For all he knew she could be henged or a student who failed their genin test! And to think that someone no more competent than a lazy house cat guarded a building that stored some of the most powerful and dangerous information the village had! If she had known that, Sakura would have tried her hand at sneaking in a long time ago.

Shaking her disgruntled thoughts away, she walked past the boy, her eyes widening at the explicit image printed on the page of his 'reading material'. Scowl firmly in place Sakura marched forward, wanting to ask the chunin where the bingo books were kept, but not wanting to pull him from his pornography.

So she wandered aimlessly for a while. Her attention being pulled in all different directions, as she spotted too many sections containing interesting information… But she was here on a mission. So with great reluctance and slight discipline, Sakura ignored the other titles, as she searched. And after fifteen minutes of scouring the east side of the building, she stumbled upon an entire aisle of bingo books.

The shelves alone were almost three times her height, and each one was jam packed with slim black books. Her green eyes scanned the shelves, noting that each shelf represented a Hidden Village.

Sakura smiled when she finally found Konoha's shelf. Pulling a random book at eye level out, she flipped to the back cover and looked at the date. It was about fifteen years old. She delicately put it back in place.

Taking a step back Sakura pondered for a moment- how old was Kakashi-sensei exactly? His odd hair coloring would normally indicate that he was reaching the elderly stage of his life, but Sakura had watched him during the bell test and he was incredibly fast and nimble. Granted, retired shinobi were still forces to be reckoned with, but Kakashi-sensei's body spoke of a much more youthful age.

Her mind also reminded her of the conversation she had had with her mother this morning. Her mother _knew_ Kakashi-sensei, or she knew _of_ him at least. Which would put Kakashi's age somewhere between his thirties and forties, if Sakura guessed right.

She moved further down the shelf and then shook her head at her own stupidity…why was she looking for an _old_ bingo book? Kakashi-sensei was still alive and if he was as competent a jounin as she suspect, he would have a section devoted to him in the current copy.

Crouching down, Sakura picked up the very last book on the bottom of the shelf. She checked the back cover just to be sure and was pleased to see this was Konoha's current bingo book. A book full of faces that were either Konoha's own criminals, or Konoha's elite that were wanted in other shinobi nations… Sakura fully intended for her own face to grace these pages in the future.

She leafed through the book until she hit the 'H' section. Kakashi-sensei's profile was the second on the list. A medium size picture of his masked face, lone black eye and unruly silver hair stared back at her. And Sakura's eyes widened as she looked at the status listed next to his name- _S Ranked_. And while Sakura figured that his lazy demeanor was a front to cover calculating intelligence, she had never thought her sensei was _this_ big of a deal.

Come to think about it, why would he even be hired as a jounin sensei, if his talents were clearly suited elsewhere…

While her mind swirled with the implications, she also thought of the possibilities. The things that an S ranked nin could teach her… Green eyes reverently absorbed the rest of the information on the page.

 _Hatake, Kakashi, known alias: The Copy-Cat Nin, Cold Blooded Kakashi, and Kakashi of the Sharingan._

Sakura's eyes froze on the last alias... _sharingan_.

When Sakura was young she had read a book on the great shinobi clans and how the fierce and noble Uchiha clan possessed the sharingan. Later, when she had started attending the academy, Sakura learned through gossip _what_ exactly the sharingan was- or at least what the public was allowed to know. It was a blood limit that allowed the user to copy any jutsu and use advanced genjutsu. But as far as Sakura knew, the only people that were able to produce the sharingan where the Uchiha clan…

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she puzzled through what this could mean…Was Kakashi-sensei actually an _Uchiha_? She studied his photo again- he sure didn't look like any of the other clan members she had known. And surely if he was a secret clan member he would have taken Sasuke in after the massacre. The only other option she could think of was that her sensei had much more in common with her and he was a bastard of one of the now dead Uchiha clansmen.

But as her eyes skimmed down the page and Sakura read just who exactly Kakashi's father was, her wild theory was nixed. Hatake Sakumo- The White Fang of Konoha, one of her childhood heroes was his father. Sakura wondered if it would be appropriate to ask him if he had a pack of nin dogs too…

Reading through the rest of the information Sakura had gleaned that Kakashi-sensei excelled at both taijutsu and ninjutsu. But with his possession of the sharingan, Sakura was sure that he was formidable in wielding genjutsu too. Her sensei appeared to be a jack of all trades, and yet a master of them too.

It was impressive and mustered more confidence in the girl. She was sure that now that Team Seven had passed the bell test, he would take their training more seriously. Kakashi-sensei was also much younger than she originally had guessed, only being in his late twenties. His odd hair color was a genetic quirk, much like her own.

Closing the book, Sakura placed it back in its spot and headed towards the exit. She was sorely tempted to linger and lose herself in the vast wealth of information, but her rumbling stomach alerted her that it was dinnertime.

As she reached the service desk, Sakura noticed a platinum blonde girl had joined the chunin boy.

"If your parents are being such a pain in the ass than why don't you just get your own place?" the boy asked his company, his eyes barely glancing up from that same orange book.

"Renji, are you even listening to me?" the girl demanded.

Sakura approached the desk and both of them stared at her for a moment.

Renji sighed, "You need to sign this," he passed Sakura a sign out sheet.

Sakura dutifully autographed the line, while half listening to their conversation.

"Mai, you're a shinobi, you make enough money that you can afford your own place."

Pushing the paper back, she quickly left the library, her mind lingering on the two chunin's words. Now that she was an official shinobi, she was considered an adult of the village and would be paid to partake on missions.

And because she was legally an adult, she could live on her own… A smile played on her face for barely a second before her shoulders slumped- her father would never go for that. If it were a choice between her presence (something he couldn't stand) and the neighbor's gossip at seeing her leave, he would choose for Sakura to stay.

 _But_ now that she was a shinobi (something he despised) and she was growing up to look nothing like him (which was expected), but also less and less like her mother, perhaps he wouldn't mind having the constant reminded of his wife's infidelity out of the house. Sakura actually smiled as she thought up ways of possibly broaching the subject over dinner.

When she arrived at her family's house, her father was already seated in the dining room, sipping on sake. And by the ruddy color in his cheeks he had been for a while. Sakura could hear her mother preparing dinner in the kitchen and moved towards the room.

"Oh, Sakura, you're home," Mebuki said. "Help me bring these dishes out, will you?"

Sakura wordlessly accepted the large platter of fish, wondering if her mother would even bother to ask if she had passed Kakashi-sensei's 'survival training'

Mebuki followed her out of the kitchen with the rest of the plates. Sakura could feel her father's eyes burning into her as she arranged the dishes before taking her seat.

Her mother followed suit and soon the three had descended into a tense silence- the only noises heard was the gentle scrapping of plates. Sakura felt the weight of the uncomfortable atmosphere smother her and she recalled Kakashi-sensei's words. He had wanted Team Seven to be family- but the way she felt around the Harunos was suffocating.

"So, did you pass? Are you a ninja now?" Kizashi suddenly barked, his glassy eyes fixed on her.

Sakura deliberately allowed herself another moment to chew her food, while internally calculating what her father's motives for asking her were.

"Yes," she replied after a moment.

Kizashi's lips twisted in a predictable sneer, but Sakura was more interested in the way her mother had paused, fork half raised for a moment after her answer.

"I suppose you will be needing more money for more weapons now," Kizashi grumbled.

It was something he always fumed about each time a letter from the Academy came home instructing parents to buy practice shruiken or small kunai for their students. But as much as he grumbled, Kizashi would buy her the nicest, most expensive pair, making sure that only _she_ knew how aggravated he was at wasting money on her and a career he despised.

But now that he had brought up money…

"Actually, I will start receiving payment for any missions I go on, so I can buy my own weapons," Sakura said, watching as her father digested her information.

He took another swing of sake and grunted, "As long as you buy the good ones."

Sakura continued nonchalantly, "And if we go on enough missions I will be able to move out of the house soon…"

"Absolutely not," Mebuki firmly stated.

Sakura stared at her mother in wonder. She hadn't considered her mother possibly refusing her request, only thinking her father would be a potential obstacle. Kizashi too was staring at his wife.

Sakura backtracked trying to think of a plausible reason for her mother to approve of this, instead of the arguments she had planned for her father.

"With missions I could be coming and going at all hours of night. I would not want to disturb you or father," Sakura calmly stated, watching as her mother's lips thinned. Her father on the other hand actually looked like he was considering her reasoning.

And while Sakura knew that her mother loved her, she did not know why she was so determined to keep her rooted in such a malicious house. But what the girl hadn't considered was that her mother would go as far as to appeal to her father's reputation to keep her under their roof.

"Sakura you are twelve years old. I don't care how many missions you take, you are not leaving this house at least until you are of age." Mebuki's blue eyes darted over to her husband, "Besides, just think of what the _neighbors_ will think at us letting a little girl live on her own."

Kizashi frowned. And for a brief moment Sakura actually thought that her father and her were on the same page. Because for a moment both of them had thought that they would be rid of each other.

Draining the last of his cup, Kizashi slammed the empty ceramic on the table and his dark eyes met her, "You mother is right. You are staying. You get to be a little leach for at least another four years until it is acceptable for you to leave."

He grimaced and Sakura mirrored the expression. _So close_ …

Calmly setting her fork down, Sakura delicately wiped her lips, trying to cool the raging storm she was feeling inside.

"May I be excused?"

Mebuki nodded, her eyes following her daughter's small form as she rose, tucked her chair in and departed from the room, quiet as a ghost.

Sakura was sorely tempted to slam the door to her bedroom, but she didn't want to consider the verbal and possibly physical lashing she would receive from her father. So instead she flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to push away the hopeless feeling churning in her gut. She should have never pictured what freedom would be like on her walk home. Because now that she wasn't granted it, it left a bitter feeling in her throat.

Alone she would not have to be constantly reminded that she was only a Haruno by name. That she was an unwanted bastard that never truly belonged to the 'prestigious' Haruno clan. No more sleepless nights wondering if she would be dragged to the basement. No possible chance of seeing Great Uncle Itsuki…

Sakura viciously shook her head and shoved the incident to the back of her mind. She was not going to think about that any more. She was a shinobi- she was strong. Stronger than some perverted old man that had the audacity to think she was easy prey!

Inhaling deeply, Sakura let her eyes close and fell into an easy sleep. Exhaustion from the long and complicated day lulled her into a dreamless sleep.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, sorry that this took so long. I have had possibly the most stressful week of my life. So thank you for being patient.**

 **Also I didn't get as much feedback on the last chapter as expected, which isn't a bad thing, but I was a little nervous at how you liked/disliked my take on the bell test.**

 **Please continue to read and review.**

 **-Nyx**


	9. There is No 'I' in Team

**Chapter 8: There is No**

' **I' in Team**

" _Never forget what you are._

 _The rest of the world will not._

 _Wear it like armor,_

 _and it can never be used_

 _to hurt you."_

 _-Tyrion Lannister_

The damp air hinted at the upcoming spring, yet it still contained a cold enough bite, which allowed Sakura to clear away the haze of sleep with every inhalation. The five a.m. wake up hadn't felt as jolting as it had the previous day. Than again, she wasn't dealing with as much emotional turmoil as she had been yesterday. And with her status as a Konoha genin secured, Sakura had slept more soundly the night before.

The heavy storm cloud of anxiety that had hovered over her yesterday was dimmer this morning. Her worries were an omnipresent force in her mind- they probably always would be, but at least she didn't have to fear about her future as a shinobi hanging on a thread.

Lingering anger at her mother's refusal to let her move out of the house prickled at her senses, but Sakura shook the thought off not wanting to ruin her upcoming day. Instead she focused on everything she had read up on her new sensei. A small smile played on her lips as she thought about learning one of his carefully coveted 'thousand' jutsus.

And even after only knowing Kakashi-sensei for a mere two days, it was enough that she had observed some of his habits. And one in particular made her walk to the bridge more relaxed than hurried. Her sensei was habitually late, and his flimsy excuses hinted that his tardiness was purposeful. So the young girl had taken her time to ready herself for the day and didn't bother to hasten her pace to the bridge.

She would have more than enough time to meditate and practice some yoga or taijutsu while waiting for the jounin to show up. Sakura didn't feel quite daring enough to flout her sensei's instructed meeting time, just incase he did show up on time, but she didn't bother at rushing through her morning routine either.

When Sakura finally reached the designated meeting bridge she wasn't surprised to see Sasuke already there. Even at the Academy when she would show up incredibly early to receive a scroll from Mizuki-sensei, Sasuke would already be waiting at the back of the classroom. Always alone, and always scowling.

Today he was perched atop one of the bridge railings, staring off into the river, a thoughtful frown settled on his pale face. Sakura internally rolled her eyes and wondered if he practiced his 'brooding' looks at home. If he did than his effort was wasted on her. And if his intention wasn't to gather the swooning fan girls than he should really quit posing himself like a romance novel cover.

"Good morning Sasuke-san."

Sasuke turned his head and silently observed her for a moment. Sakura remained still as she met his gaze, wondering if he was still upset with her for never answering his question yesterday. Or wondering if he would simply snub her again.

"Good morning," he quietly replied, head instantly turning back to the water.

She repressed a sigh. Sasuke didn't seem upset- or at least not any more upset than usual. But still, she instinctively knew that forming any kind of bond that revolved around trust was going to be difficult for the two of them.

Sasuke was an arrogant loner and as she discovered yesterday, _nosy_. And Sakura was not blind to her own faults, so she knew that her stubbornness and penchant for privacy would grate on his nerves just as much. Throw an irritatingly optimistic Naruto into the mix and Team Seven was explosive- just not in the _good_ way.

Casting her attention away from her dark haired teammate, Sakura folded herself into lotus position and began her meditation ritual.

 _Inhale… Exhale…. Inhale… Exhale_

The soothing sounds of rushing water relaxed her muscles and Sakura found withdrawing into herself easier today than yesterday, even with another audience. Her chakra also appeared to be in better shape. The dimness that had plagued the strings yesterday had brightened considerably, especially around her throat.

But as she continued her steady breathing, Sakura also noticed a dark presence within herself. The toxic ball of negativity that she had created yesterday was still floating around. She frowned, never having experienced something like this before. Emotions were never tangible substances, and yet this dark force of them was haunting her. And as the blackened wisp touched her chakra core, Sakura saw _dark eyes and hot fingers trailing up her leg, 'you're not really Kizashi's, so it's all right.'_

Her breath hitched… _No, stop_! She didn't want to think about that. She wasn't going to be weak! It didn't matter- it was over, she shouldn't- _couldn't_ dwell. She needed to be strong!

The vibrations of someone running along the bridge, snapped Sakura out of her reverie. Green eyes wrenched open and looked down to see her hands shaking in her lap.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!"

Sakura tore her gaze away from her trembling fingers to see Naruto's sparkling blue eyes much closer to her face than she was comfortable with.

Swallowing her unease, Sakura lifted her lips in a imitation of a smile, "Good morning Naruto-san."

Naruto leaned back a little, "You don't have to call us that any more Sakura-chan. We're family now, just call me Naruto!"

Sakura made a valiant effort not to grimace at his mention of the word 'family,' especially when she could feel Sasuke watching their interaction with hawk like intensity. But she doubted she was wholly successful. And after the images of what a family member had done to her, not to mention her anger at her mother for not letting her move out, Sakura didn't want to hear anymore mentions of family.

But Naruto didn't have anything to do with her issues concerning the Harunos, so she calmly replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

The request was more than fair. Most children, or even pupils their age didn't bother with using proper addresses, especially around friends. Sakura had never been allowed the intimacy of addressing her family freely, let alone her peers. But they were a team and if she wanted to form bonds, this would be a good place to start.

"You're late dobe," Sasuke bit out, turning himself around to face the blonde.

Sakura thought it would have been smarter for Sasuke to get down from the railing altogether, as him perched there was practically inviting Naruto to push him off. But she remained quiet, observing her teammates interact instead.

"Only by five minutes," Naruto said, crossing his orange clad arms. "Besides, Kakashi-sensei probably won't be here for hours."

Sasuke sent him an unimpressed look that seemed to convey exactly what he thought of Naruto's reasoning.

Naruto's foot twitched in response and Sakura scooted back a bit not wanting to get splashed incase he did manage to push Sasuke off the bridge.

"Just don't make a habit of it Naruto," Sakura replied, watching as Sasuke's fingers crept towards his weapons pouch. "We don't want to get into trouble for being late if Kakashi-sensei actually does manage to show up on time."

Naruto grinned at her, all signs of annoyance gone. Her eyes darted over to Sasuke and thankfully his hands were once again relaxed against the railings.

Getting to her feet, Sakura decided to practice some yoga. The rising sun along with the soothing water would be the perfect backdrop for it. As long as her teammates didn't decided to start squabbling. Which was unlikely as Naruto and Sasuke were like cats and dogs.

Inhaling, Sakura moved into a high lunge, and closed her eyes, feeling her muscles stretch. After a few counts, Sakura maneuvered her body into 'reverse warrior' pose.

"Whatcha doing Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, bouncing over to her side.

Cracking one eye open, Sakura gazed at Naruto in exasperation. "Yoga."

Closing her eyes once again, Sakura moved to 'downward facing dog' and ignored the gulping noise Naruto made.

"W-why yoga?" he stuttered.

And when Sakura looked up she noticed Naruto looking not at her pink head, but at her behind. Scowl firmly in place, she waited for Naruto to refocus on her face. It took a few moments.

A bright blush spread across his whiskered cheeks when he finally met her eyes. Guilty blue ones flinched as they met her green.

As she rearranged herself into 'bow' pose she answered Naruto. "Yoga is good for the body. It helps calm the mind and stretch muscles. It also helps with flexibility."

Naruto gaped at her twisted body, "You're really smart Sakura-chan!"

"Why are you practicing it here?" Sasuke asked, discretely eying her movements.

Exhaling, the girl sat back into lotus position. It appeared as if any activity that required tranquility would be downright impossible with these two hovering.

"I usually practice at home every morning, before going to the Academy. Kakashi-sensei requires us to meet here earlier, and there is no point waking up early when he is going to be late, so I figured I would practice here," Sakura explained. "Evidently that wasn't the best idea…" she trailed off.

"Cool! Can you teach me some, Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke butted in before Sakura could respond. "Yoga is for girls _dobe_."

Sakura straightened her back, and contemplated whether or not _she_ should push him into the river.

"Yoga is not just for girls. It is for anyone who wants to become more in tune with their body. I would think _you_ of all people would be willing to try any form of training if it would help you to become a better shinobi." She said this in a deliberately calm voice, knowing that Sasuke would pick up on her condescension.

And though her hidden dig may have gone over Naruto's head, it hit its intended target and Sasuke scowled. A scowl, which Naruto did not miss. He dove towards the railing Sasuke was seated on, and when he was only a hairs breath away, a hand snatched him by the collar.

The hand jerked Naruto's body back, saving either Sasuke from taking a swim, or Naruto unintentionally diving in the water when the Uchiha dodged.

"Tut-tut, such naughty students," Kakashi-sensei drawled, letting go of Naruto's jumpsuit, which caused the blonde to fall into a heap on the bridge. "What did I do to deserve being put with you lot?"

Sakura inwardly snorted. It was a question that she had been derisively thinking about after passing the Academy exam. But it was also a legitimate question that Sakura had mused about in the library… What _was_ an S-ranked nin doing teaching a bunch of kids? Most S-ranked shinobi were part of ANBU black ops.

"You're late!" Naruto huffed.

Kakashi hummed as he started walking towards the training ground, "I saw a little old lady struggling with her groceries, so of course I had to help her carry them home."

Naruto growled and Sakura rolled her eyes. As much as she was dying to learn from such a talented sensei, she was thoroughly unimpressed with his lackadaisical attitude towards their futures. Being on time, or at least being a better liar would make her feel immensely better about their training.

When the four reached the training grounds, Kakashi started them with basic warm up maneuvers. Boring and tedious exercises that any civilian could do and yet when Kakashi-sensei called 'go' for them to begin running laps, Sakura knew that her day was going downhill.

Naruto immediately shot off like a rocket, taunting Sasuke about being faster as he whizzed by. And for what many of the Academy instructors hailed as a genius, Sasuke was terrible at letting Naruto lure him into stupid rivalries. Sakura ran on ignoring the two boys that were meters ahead of her. She wasn't going to get in the way of their peacocking. And sure enough, in only the third lap out of ten Naruto managed to trip Sasuke, and then stumble over said boy, falling to the ground.

Sakura barely managed to contain her laughter as she ran past the tangled up two. Kakashi-sensei had obviously felt no such restraint, as she could hear him chuckling from the middle of the grounds.

By mid-morning it had only gotten worse. Push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks all resulted in Naruto furiously challenging Sasuke and then making a fool out of both of them. Sakura kept her mouth shut as the two bickered, but her patience was wearing thin. Especially when she realized that every time she looked at her sensei, he was focused on the quarreling pair.

The sun was high in the sky and harshly beating down on the back of her neck when Kakashi finally called for them to stop.

"Okay team, eat a quick lunch and then we are going to work on a new training exercise."

Sakura wiped the sweat off her forehead and walked over to her bento ignoring Naruto's boasting about beating Sasuke at all the warm ups (something that she severely doubted). Pulling out her container of miso soup and leftover fish, Sakura began folding a napkin on her lap. She looked over to see Sasuke munching on some gyoza and Naruto pulling out an instant ramen cup.

Naruto must of felt her incredulous stare because his blue eyes hesitantly met hers. A flush broke out on his tanned cheeks, "I can't keep relying on you Sakura-chan; you've been too nice to me already!"

Sakura noticed Sasuke's pinched brows as he looked between the two of them and refrained from commenting. She didn't want to embarrass Naruto or his lack of funds in front of his wealthy rival. But still, he couldn't live on instant ramen alone.

Keeping her voice light, Sakura replied, "I never minded. And we're teammates now. Keeping you healthy is now a much bigger priority."

Naruto's face flushed an even darker shade of red and a small, pleased grin sat on his lips as he stirred the ramen cup. Comprehension spread across Sasuke's face as he looked at Sakura's stuffed bento. And when he opened his mouth Sakura gave him a look that conveyed all sorts of warnings should he think to tease Naruto about his lack of basic necessities.

The rest of the short lunch break was spent quiet, except for Naruto's exclamations on how much he loved ramen, and how much better it was at Ichirakus. Sakura only ate half of her large lunch, and drank copious amounts of water wanting to prevent dehydration. She felt much more refreshed by the time Kakashi called their break to an end.

"Okay, my cute students, we are going to perform a training exercise that will help out with your teamwork. _Kami knows you need it_ ," he said the last part under his breath.

He pulled a scroll out of one of his pockets. "Naruto, come here."

Naruto walked over to the older man, his face displaying a mixture of nerves and excitement.

"This scroll contains important information. Your job is to guard it," Kakashi-sensei explained. He then turned his lone eye to Sasuke and Sakura. "Your jobs are to try and steal the scroll from Naruto. You will have one hour to complete this task."

Sasuke smirked, " _Easy_."

Naruto shot him a dirty look, but straightened up when Kakashi continued. "The rules are no killing, maiming, or use of shuriken. We have other practices to complete today and I would rather get through them than drag one of you to the _hospital_ ," he grimaced. "Understood?"

"Yes sensei!" Naruto shouted, while Sasuke gave a sharp nod and Sakura softly answered, "yes."

"Naruto, you get a one minute head start. You can go anywhere on the training grounds, but cannot leave it. Ready? Go!"

Naruto barreled off to the tree line with all the grace of a bright orange bull.

Sakura unraveled her whip from its loops around her waist, while Sasuke pulled two kunai from his weapons pouch.

"Remember you two, you have to work together. I want to see you working as a team to get the scroll. If one of you takes off without the other," Kakashi said, eyeing Sasuke, "than you will both fail."

Sakura bit her lip not at all convinced that Sasuke wouldn't just take off on his own once they reached the tree line. And Kakashi-sensei really should have come up with a better threat than simple failure. Now that they had become genin, failing a training exercise wasn't too big of deal. She didn't have any intention of failing of course, but still it wasn't the greatest motivation.

Until Kakashi continued, "If you fail, than I will put off accepting any missions."

Both Sasuke and Sakura grimaced. Training was great, not to mention necessary, but missions where were shinobi really learned. Not to mention the money.

Sakura looked over to Sasuke to see him looking back at her. Their eyes connected and Sakura seemed to understand his unspoken treaty- they would work together.

"Alright, go!" Kakashi-sensei said.

Sasuke and Sakura both took off towards the forest. Once they reached the tree line, Sasuke slowed down and looked at her.

"What are you thinking?"

Sakura slowed her pace to match his, "Kakashi sensei wants us to work together so we probably shouldn't split up."

Sasuke nodded, "Once we sense the dobe could you catch him with that?" he asked, gesturing to her whip.

Sakura nodded in response, confident in her ability.

Sasuke nodded, "Okay, you immobilize him and I'll use my kunai to make sure he hands over the scroll."

Sakura nodded, and the two continued forward, heading into the densest part of the training ground's small forest. Naruto would have undoubtedly seen the benefits of hiding in the thick foliage.

After only two minutes of quietly running, Sakura caught a glimpse of orange out of her peripherals.

"Sasuke," she hissed.

Turning his head, he gave her a flat look that seemed to convey how annoyed he was at her for breaking his concentration.

Sakura was sorely tempted to do something completely childish and stick out her tongue. She settled on narrowing her eyes and gesturing to where she saw their loudmouth teammate.

It wasn't until Sasuke shot off into the trees did Sakura consider her own stupidity at pointing out a clue and expecting Sasuke not to go after it on his own like a rabid hunting dog. But than again, she thought that they were going to practice teamwork and that Sasuke would have enough restraint to not just take off without her.

Scowling at the thick branches that concealed both teammates Sakura realized that it would probably be harder to track Sasuke than Naruto. And than rolled her eyes at how stupid the Uchiha was being. Naruto had mastered the shadow clone jutsu. There was a good chance that there was more than one Naruto wandering about the training grounds. The real Naruto might not even be in the forest!

Frown firmly in place, Sakura quietly, but determinedly marched through the forest. She was better off without that idiotic Uchiha anyways!

Heading west, she mused on what she should do. A clone wasn't likely to give up their original's location. And Sakura couldn't threaten one properly without it popping out of existence. She didn't want to be led on a wild goose chase either- especially with the time limit.

A branch above her rustled and Sakura ducked into a nearby bush, thankful for her dark clothes, but cursing her bright hair. Carefully she looked up and noticed two Naruto clones above her.

"Where do you think we should go now?" one of them asked the other.

"Boss said we should split up. They will know that there are clones if they see the two of us together."

"Isn't boss with a clone too?" The first one asked, scratching its head.

"Yeah, but he's supposed to be the only one with a few of us around," the other Naruto said, punching the first one in the arm.

Sakura suppressed a sigh of exasperation. It was so very Naruto like that even his clones couldn't get along with each other. And when they disappeared in different directions, Sakura turned around and headed south- they way the clones originally came from.

Unlashing her whip, the girl swung herself into the tree branches. Traveling on higher ground would give her a better vantage point. And after combing around the southern side of the training ground's forest her idea paid off. Five Naruto's were huddled in a circle.

Grabbing a kunai from her weapons pouch, Sakura used her whip to swing herself down, her legs barreling into the first two Naruto's, popping them out of existence and startling the other three.

All of the Narutos looked unsure as they came face to face with her. The two on flank looked to the middle Naruto for instruction, and Sakura knew they were clones too. Simultaneously kicking her foot out and slashing her kunai, Sakura disbanded them in an instant.

Dropping into a defensive position, she was on edge for a counter attack. But Naruto remained gaping at her in awe, his hands not even reaching for weapons or making hand signs.

"Wow Sakura-chan, that was awesome!"

Sakura frowned and straightened herself up, "I don't think you are supposed to compliment me when we are enemies Naruto."

Naruto's smile fell, "We could never be enemies. We're teammates Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smiled back as she looked into his guileless blue eyes. Eyes that did not belong in such a sly and manipulative trade.

But her own cat like green ones did, so Sakura felt almost no shame as she moved a step closer to her blonde teammate. "I wonder what the information in the scroll is anyways. Kakashi-sensei said it was important, so it must be something interesting." Naruto's breath hitched. "You probably gave the scroll to one of your clones anyways," she sighed in faux disappointment.

One of Naruto's hands hastily grasped at his back pocket. "N-no, its right here."

Taking another step closer, Sakura forced herself not to stare at the scroll Naruto carelessly presented. "Can I see it?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, searching her face for obvious signs of dishonesty. But after living with the Harunos for her entire life, Sakura was a flawless actress- he would find no clues.

Blushing, Naruto stepped closer, "Okay." He slowly placed the scroll in her outstretched hand.

Sakura shakily counted to ten in her head, before flicking her wrist out and grasping the farthest tree branch she could with her whip. Hurling her body forward, Sakura launched herself through the forest, mindful of Naruto's outraged shout.

She darted herself through the tree using both the momentum of her feet and the speed of her whip to dart herself forward. And it was a good thing that she had the weapon because judging by the thunderous feet following her, Naruto had sent his clones after her.

Cursing, she picked up the pace, wondering whether or not she would stumble upon Sasuke, and they could both make a break for Kakashi-sensei without having to admit that their teamwork was abysmal.

Thankfully the noise of the many Naruto clones must have caused the Uchiha to investigate the area because Sakura caught sight of his blue shirt as she was closing in on the edge of the forest.

His eyes widened as he spotted her and the thirty plus clones that followed. Easily matching her pace, Sasuke ran beside her.

"Did you get the scroll?"

"Yes," she panted unable to use her whip now they were in the open.

The two picked up the pace as Kakashi-sensei came into sight. A few of the Narutos came up from behind Kakashi, trying to close in on them, but they seemed oddly focused on Sasuke, even knowing that she had the scroll. Sakura didn't bother to watch him take them on, instead she continued running until she skidded to a stop in front of Kakashi and reached into her pocket, handing the scroll to him.

Kakashi's dark eye displayed vague intrigue as he accepted the scroll. "Alright, stop you two," he called. "Naruto, get rid of the clones."

Naruto did as he was told and he and Sasuke strode up to her and Kakashi-sensei. Sakura noted with mild dismay that she was the only one panting. Granted she wasn't sure if Sasuke had been doing any running before meeting her, but Naruto sure had!

"Sit down you three," Kakashi said, eye observing each of them.

When they were all seated, and the silence had stretched out to an unbearable length, he finally spoke. "Naruto, you fail your mission."

Naruto cursed, his face displaying an unhappy frown.

"Sasuke and Sakura, you also _fail_ your mission."

Sakura's green eyes widened, and Sasuke's clenched fists turned white.

"But the scroll was retrieved!" Sasuke protested.

"Notice how you didn't say 'we' retrieved the scroll?" Kakashi-sensei drawled. "You two fail because you made almost no display of teamwork. Sasuke, you took off and left your partner behind at the first sign of action." Kakashi berated. "And Sakura, while I don't blame you for not going after him, you should not have tried to fool me into thinking that you accomplished this together."

Sakura straightened her back and inwardly fumed. Part of being a shinobi was learning the art of deception. It was how she got the scroll in the first place.

It seemed as if Kakashi-sensei had picked up on her train of thought as he continued, "Being a shinobi means you have to learn how to deceive people, but if you cannot do it properly than you run an even greater risk of ruining a mission."

His masked face turned towards a pouting Naruto. "You need to learn to look underneath the underneath. You can't give up a scroll you are supposed to be guarding to a pretty girl just because she asked for it."

Naruto flushed at the gentle reprimand.

" _That's_ how she got the scroll from you dobe?" Sasuke incredulously asked.

Naruto's scowl became more pronounced, but for once he remained silent. And Sakura actually felt guilt crawl up her spine at the thought that she might have actually hurt the boy's feelings.

Kakashi-sensei handed the scroll to Sasuke. "Your turn."

And Kakashi barely managed to get the word 'go' out of his mouth before Sasuke was gone. Once again, he headed straight for the tree line.

The one- minute head start was spent in uncharacteristic silence considering she was paired with Naruto. Kakashi-sensei had already pulled a very familiar looking orange book out. Sakura grimaced and refocused on the forest line.

"Alright you two, you can head out now. Remember, you have one hour to complete your task." Kakashi said, not bothering to lift his eye from the page.

Naruto jumped to his feet and Sakura raced after him, inwardly fretting. It appeared as if Naruto was upset with her after all.

"Wait- Naruto," Sakura called, trying to stay quiet as they ventured into the forest.

Naruto continued on, but stopped once Sakura reached out and yanked on his sleeve. Slowly turning around Sakura met his sad blue eyes.

And even though her plan had been a good one and she did get the scroll, Sakura was regretting it entirely if it meant hurting her teammate. Because out of the three of them, Naruto seemed to be the most naïve when it came towards cruelty. Which was odd considering how the villagers typically treated him.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the scroll from you like that," Sakura said, feeling wholly uncomfortable.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, and deliberately did not meet her eyes. "I just didn't think you'd trick me like that Sakura-chan."

"I shouldn't have. You're my teammate and I should have thought my actions through a little better." Sakura explained, stretching the truth a little. Because Naruto's crush on her had become painfully obvious and she shouldn't have taken advantage of his feelings. The long- term consequences were too troubling.

Naruto's whiskered cheeks twitched until they finally stretched into a smile. "I can't stay mad at you Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled in return. "Besides, it's probably good that you're learning to detect trickery with me and not against a real enemy."

Naruto's grin grew wider.

They continued for a few paces before Naruto slowed. "So how do you think we should find the teme?"

Sakura thought for a moment. Sasuke was good at strategizing, so he would probably be well hidden. And more than likely there would be traps. Of what kind, she wasn't sure…

"Why don't you make a bunch of clones so we can cover more ground. If one of them finds something suspicious it can report back to us."

"Good plan!" Naruto crowed before doing the hand signs. Sakura watched as a cloud of smoke enveloped him and once it cleared twelve more Naruto's were surrounding him.

The Naruto clones all took off leaving the real him with her. They continued through the forest at a steady pace, Naruto chattering in her ear the whole time. Sakura was sorely tempted to tell him to be quiet, as his voice would be sure to alert Sasuke, but she had just garnered his forgiveness. So putting up with his thoughtlessness was a necessary downside.

"This is kind of romantic! It's almost like we're on a date…" Naruto said, his side eyed glance not at all subtle.

Sakura didn't quite manage to repress her sigh. "We are not on a date Naruto, we are on a mission. If we don't find the scroll than Sasuke wins. You don't want that, do you?" she asked, shamelessly taking advantage of his competitive nature.

"No way! That teme is going down! Believe it!"

Ten minutes later one of the clones shot through the forest towards them. "I think I found where he's hiding boss!"

"Did he see you?" Sakura asked before Naruto could get a word out.

The clone looked at her and blushed slightly, "No, I don't think so."

Sakura grimaced at the uncertainty of 'I don't think so' but listened as the Naruto copy explained that Sasuke was hiding on the very east part of the training grounds, near the river.

Naruto dispelled the clone and wobbled a bit as he collected its memories. And then they were off, briskly running through the forest, with Sakura wishing that her partner contained at least an ounce of stealth. Thudding footsteps and bright orange didn't exactly work well with keeping a low profile.

As they emerge from the thick forest to tall grass along the riverbank a giant fireball shot out at them.

Sakura dived to one side and Naruto to the other. Taking cover in the long grass, Sakura tried to search for Sasuke's chakra. She couldn't feel anything but hers and Naruto's.

Another smaller fireball flew her way, and Sakura cursed as she rolled away. Ducking down behind a bush she rolled her own chakra into a ball and masked it inside herself. Peaking out from behind the bush, Sakura attempted to spot the Uchiha. Her eyes scanned the riverside, but everything looked in place.

Finally, she spotted a dark figure perched in one of the trees on the forest's edge. It appeared as if Naruto did too.

"Hey teme, why don't you come down and fight? Unless you're _scared_ …"

Sasuke flung a few kunai at Naruto before jumping down from the tree. Sakura grasped a senbon from her pouch and flung it at him, but just before it hit, one of Naruto's emerging clones got in the way.

Scowling, Sakura ran over to Naruto, dodging another fireball along the way. Naruto and several clones were launching an all out attack with uncoordinated moves, which Sasuke was countering with nin wires.

And just as Sakura reached Naruto, one of the clones diving away from a wire managed to hit her square in the face with its elbow.

Dropping to the ground, Sakura felt pain bloom on her right temple. When she blinked black spots danced in her vision.

"Sakura-chan!" half the clones called in panic. Half of the assembled ones rushed over to her.

"This is all your fault teme!" the real Naruto snarled.

Sasuke scoffed, "How is it _my_ fault that one of _your_ clones hit your own partner in the face, dobe?"

Sakura sat on her haunches and tried not to flinch as the multiple pairs of bright blue eyes peered at her.

"What are you looking at me for? We need to attack!" Sakura crossly said, getting to her feet.

The Naruto's all exclaimed their ascent and took off towards Sasuke.

And just as three of them, including what Sakura thought was the original Naruto managed to get Sasuke on his back, a shrill ringing went off.

The hour was up… She had failed _again_ …

Sakura turned around and began her trek back to Kakashi-sensei, ignoring Sasuke's annoyed hiss of 'get off me dobe!' and Naruto's loud 'like I want to be anywhere near you teme!'

Kakashi's nose was still buried within his orange book when she approached. Looking up he caught her eye, "That's going to be quite the shiner Sakura-chan."

Sakura offered him a flat look in response, and slumped to the ground, trying to ignore her throbbing eye.

Naruto and Sasuke bickered until they were seated on each side of her and Kakashi-sensei closed his reading material with a firm snap.

"Sasuke, you fail," Kakashi said. Sasuke's mouth opened in outrage, but their silver haired sensei cut him off. "That scroll was in Naruto's grasp when the bell rang."

Hi gaze flickered over to Naruto and her, taking extra long to study what Sakura was sure was a black eye. "Naruto and Sakura, you also fail. You didn't manage to retrieve the scroll. And while your teamwork was good at the beginning, you abandoned all strategy once your enemy was in sight. This resulted in one of you getting hurt," Kakashi-sensei pointedly said the last bit to a guilty looking Naruto.

"I'm really sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto miserably muttered.

Sakura offered him what was meant to be a reassuring smile, but was sure it missed its mile. She was feeling too miserable herself to cheer him up.

"Alright Sakura-chan, it's your turn to take the scroll."

Sakura rose to her feet and grasped the scroll from Kakashi's proffered palm.

Her heartbeat picked up and the second the word 'go' crossed his masked lips, she was off. Like the others, Sakura ran towards the tree line. But once she made it just inside the foliage, she quickly darted up a tree and masked her chakra. She needed to do something different…

She needed a plan. And unfortunately for her, being paired up with Sasuke and Naruto first meant they both knew how she liked to strategize. But she also knew how they operated too.

Pulling a branch down to cover her hair, Sakura waited on baited breath as she felt Naruto's approach. And while Sasuke had masked his chakra, his argument with Naruto was still audible. She almost wanted to roll her eyes at the pair, but remained vigilantly watching them instead.

"I think we should go right," Naruto exclaimed.

"No, that's where I hid. It would be too obvious to go there," Sasuke shot back.

"Well I'm going right," Naruto growled back.

"Fine with me. I'd rather be on my own."

"You just want to take all the credit teme!"

"Dobe, we are supposed to be working together. I _can't_ take all the credit!"

A soundless exhale left her lips as the two boys continued their arguing far into the forest. And after another five minutes of being perched in the tree, Sakura debated on what to do.

A part of her just wanted to park herself near Kakashi-sensei. It was probably the last place they would look. But the open grounds gave her a distinct disadvantage and she already had difficulties with blending in. The other part of her insisted that she just stay up in the tree and wait it out. But she didn't want to be a sitting duck either. A third option slithered through her thoughts and Sakura smirked, plan set.

Carefully climbing down the tree, she paused every so often at the smallest sounds. And once she was firmly on the forest floor, she took off towards the open field. Offering Kakashi-sensei a cheeky wave as she ran by him, Sakura ducked behind the lone gnarled tree that the three met at just yesterday morning.

She pulled out the scroll and performed a low level genjusu on it, making it appear to be a simple, but distinct leaf. It would be no good if she couldn't figure out which one was the real scroll when this exercise was done with. Finally, Sakura swung herself up into the lower branches of the tree and waited.

Minutes passed by that felt like hours and for the most part the training grounds were quiet. A couple of times she heard a shout or shake echo from the forest, but nothing from her side of the grounds, which was good. And _agonizing_.

The anticipatory wait kept her blood pumping, and yet with each passing minute her adrenalin began to cool.

Until a bush in front of her rustled and her head snapped over to look at it. No small animal emerged. It rustled again, and she debated whether or not she should throw a kunai at it. But than again she didn't want to kill a harmless creature, she just wanted to take out a potential threat.

Grimacing, Sakura slid down from the tree and headed towards the bushes. If it was a false alarm than she would still be hidden, and if it was Naruto or Sasuke than she had her weapons and was prepared to take them out.

But as she parted the bush and crawled in a familiar white fog enveloped her face. Swirling mist began to take shape. A tall man with dark eyes and a cruel smile stared down at her, " _Not Kizashi's_ , _so it's all right…"_ he whispered.

Fury enveloped her in that moment. She ripped through the genjutsu, catching its caster with her kunai.

Sasuke grimaced at the metal bit through the flesh on his collarbone. He ignored the pain and dove for his female teammate.

Sakura had barely anytime to react before Sasuke had her pinned. But having his body- so different from her Great Uncle's, yet still dominating after exposing her to that image only increased her fury. Especially since she knew that Sasuke had witnessed her last reaction to that very same genjutsu. And when one of Sasuke's hands shot down to her pockets, no doubt looking for the scroll, Sakura lost it.

" _Get off me_!" she snarled, voice deadly.

Sasuke ignored her, "Where's the scroll?"

"None of your business, you pervert!" she shot back and bucked herself forward with enough force to throw the boy off of her.

Sakura didn't know if it was the pain from his cut, or shock at the new label she gave him, but Sasuke actually took a minute to respond to her escape attempt. He dove for her retreating figure, once again pinning her.

Sakura yelled as she thrashed, but Sasuke's grip was painfully strong on her hips. Chin scrapping through the dirt, Sakura looked up to see Naruto's panicked face.

"Naruto!" she cried out, her mind half furious, and body half terrified.

"Don't you dare dobe!" Sasuke snarled.

Naruto looked torn, but as Sasuke started rooting through her weapons pouch with one hand, dodging her attempts at head butting him, Naruto ran forward and yanked Sasuke up.

"Get off of her teme!"

The bell rang ominously in the distance.

"Damn it dobe," Sasuke hissed, already stomping towards Kakashi-sensei.

Sakura remained face down on the ground for another moment, her breathing shaky. Her brain was trying to process what had just happened. Rage was starting to build within her. How _dare_ he do that to her!

"Um, Sakura-chan, are you okay?"

Slowly getting to her feet, Sakura looked over to see Naruto hovering, concern pasted on his face.

"I'm fine," she said the words coming out much more calmly than what she was feeling.

Ignoring Naruto, she walked over to the tree and slowly climbed up its branches until she reached for the genjutsu-covered scroll. Disabling the jutsu, she climbed back down, scroll in hand.

"You didn't have the scroll on you all along…" Naruto said faintly.

Sakura shook her head and continued walking. She avoided Sasuke's dark eyes as she placed the scroll in Kakashi-sensei awaiting hand.

Sitting down, Sakura deliberately ignored the fact that both of her teammates and her sensei were staring at her in silence. Instead she focused on brushing the dirt off her chin.

Coughing Kakashi-sensei began his analysis. "Naruto and Sasuke, you fail. You spent most of the hour arguing over a plan, and then each decided to go off on your own." He paused, looking as if he wanted to say more, but sighed instead.

His dark eye once again took in his female student. The tiny girl was sporting a rather large black eye, and her pink hair was wild with a few stray twigs snagged in it. The rips in her clothing and dirt smudged on her face were unsettling, but it was nothing compared to her blank expression. Unease churning in Kakashi's gut.

"Sakura, you pass."

Her eyes met that of her sensei's, waiting for his the rest of his comments.

"Your strategy was a good one. You kept the scroll hidden in a safe place and not on your person. Just be sure not to fall for easy traps to avoid the situation you just got into."

Sakura's jaw clenched as Kakashi basically blamed her for Sasuke's disgusting attack.

"Alright you three, you're dismissed for the day. We will meet at the same time and place tomorrow," Kakashi said before he turned and headed towards the exit.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei, you better not be late tomorrow," Naruto called, running after the man.

"Sakura," Sasuke's low voice called from behind her.

She turned her head and saw him gazing at her, indiscernible emotions swirling in his eyes. One of his hands reached out for her and she flinched away. It dropped instantly.

"Look I'm sor-"

"Don't _ever_ touch me again," Sakura tonelessly said, before turning around and slowly walking towards the exit.

She was halfway home before she realized that tears were streaming down her face.

 **A/N: Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It gave me such a hard time that I ended up rewriting parts of if multiple time!**

 **Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter! Over 100 reviews! And I absolutely love hearing your feedback and theories about where this story is going! Please continue to review and let me know what you think!**

 **And as for the last bit in this chapter, Sasuke is kind of a jerk, but it is not completely unreasonable for him to tackle Sakura in a training fight. Her reaction is coming from trauma. Events like what happened with her uncle don't just go away, they linger, as much as she wishes they would.**

 **Lastly, if you know of anyone, or you yourself are experiencing any sort of the issues that Sakura is going through, please tell someone. You don't have to suffer in silence!**

 **-Nyx**


	10. Flinch

**Chapter 9: Flinch**

" _May your choices_

 _reflect your hopes,_

 _not your fears."_

 _-Nelson Mandela_

By the time Sakura had made it home her tears had dried. Which was a good thing because on the off chance her father was home already, she didn't want him lecturing her about being weak- especially when he was so against her being a nin in the first place. Not that he wouldn't get angry anyways- the black eye, and torn and filthy clothing were just asking for a berating. She could paint a perfect picture of him now, shouting at her about what the neighbors would think.

Opening the door as quietly as she could Sakura slipped inside and came face to face with her mother's rapidly widening blue eyes.

"Flower?" Mebuki asked, taking her daughter's small hands into her own and pulling her into the kitchen.

Sakura sat down on one of the chairs, wincing slightly as her sore back came into contact with the unforgiving wood. She watched as her mother wet a small cloth under the sink.

"What happened?" Mebuki asked, keeping her voice intentionally light. Her daughter looked as shaky as a newborn foal.

Sakura cleared the hoarseness out of her throat before responding, "Just simple training exercises."

She was already internally berating herself for letting Sasuke get to her like that. Falling for his trick was annoying, yet acceptable. He had shown extraordinary cleverness in luring her into his trap. But the way she reacted to his simple tackle was _intolerable_. Not to mention suspicious! Sakura didn't even want to think about what was running through Sasuke's mind concerning her after the fit she threw!

He probably thought she was some crazy wimp! Which considering her current state, Sakura was inclined to agree with. 'Crazy' may have been a potent word for how she was feeling, but the chaotic state of her thoughts had become problematic as of late. Not to mention that dark presence within her- why _hadn't_ it gone away? Was it normal? Did other people have a giant ball of darkness festering within them?

She flinched as the warm washcloth tentatively touched her chin. Her mother made a quiet humming noise, before titling her face to the side to get a better angle. And whilst her mother cleaned the dirt and debris off her scraped skin, Sakura kept thinking.

Crazy was an unpleasant possibility. She had always thought that her distance from her peers stemmed from her overly mature and logical nature. A big part of that was because of her family, but the Harunos didn't change the fact that her personality had always been calculating. Different had never seemed like a _bad_ thing per se- she was different from her family and different from her peers. The isolation had never bothered her. And from what she could gather, shinobi had always been viewed as a touch insane anyways, especially the _powerful_ ones.

But even if crazy was only a possibility concerning herself, _wimp_ was a definite.

Sakura's lips curled in a slight snarl as she thought about how Sasuke was brilliant, but cruel in casting a genjutsu on her that he knew she would react poorly to. She grimaced at the realization of her own hypocrisy. How could she feel so revolted with Sasuke's tactics when she used them herself, possibly in a much crueler way?

Sasuke had witnessed her reaction to Kakashi's genjutsu and knew it was a weakness, so he used it against her. It was a skillful strategy, and as he proved- _successful_. He used her fear against her to achieve his goals and he was ruthless- something every good shinobi was.

Sakura had applied the same tactics, except concerning attraction with Naruto. She knew the boy was crushing on her and took advantage of his feelings to win. She too was ruthless, but in a much more hurtful way… Suzume sensei would be _so_ proud. The thought made her feel sick.

At least Sasuke hadn't known the history behind what she was seeing… And thank Kami people couldn't witness a genjutsu victim's illusions. He probably already had some wild theories about what exactly he made her see. But as long as it wasn't too close to the truth it didn't matter…

"-Flower… Flower? _Sakura_!"

Sakura was sharply brought out of her thoughts as her mother gave her a little shake. Concern was creased into the fine lines on her mother's young face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mebuki asked, worry leaking through her tone.

Sakura nodded in quick reassurance. It's not like her mother could or _would_ do anything.

Her mother- probably the only person in the world who both knew about everything going on in her life and could possibly empathize with being a shinobi… And the one person who Sakura knew would do nothing. She had long ago let go of any delusions of her mother sweeping them off into some foreign land to start life anew, or to reassure her that better times were coming. Or even to shield her from the harsh bitterness that was reality.

So even though Sakura was most assuredly _not_ okay, she would save both her mother and herself from the uncomfortable awkwardness of having to discuss forbidden issues. She wouldn't unseal her lips and break the unspoken rule of not mentioning all of the dastardly deeds that went on in the midnight hours and dark corners of the Haruno house.

"I'm going to use some healing chakra to get rid of that nasty bruise before your father sees it."

Sakura's pale brows furrowed, "You know medical ninjutsu?"

Her mother hesitated in the way that she always did before speaking about her past life as a kunoichi.

"A little bit. It was required of me."

Sakura's eyes flickered over every inch of her mother's face; watching as her eyes seemed to grow distant for a moment.

Sakura keenly observed the sometimes- stranger that was crouched in front of her. Kakashi-sensei had revealed that her mother had been an infiltration expert. Sakura hadn't known that they were required to learn medical ninjutsu, but she supposed it made sense. Infiltrators usually worked solo, with no team medic to back them up.

But still, Sakura longed to pry the secrets that lied behind her mother's blue eyes out. She desperately wanted to know about her mother's kunoichi past- especially since (from the clues she had picked up over the years) it would lead to more information about her father. Not that knowing the identity of the man would make a difference- but curiosity ate away at her.

Mebuki gave her head a little shake before refocusing on her daughter. Sakura was looking at her with wide viridian eyes that had always held an uncomfortable amount of cunning. She hated the hesitation that she always felt when her daughter cast _that_ gaze her way.

So like any good parent, she became adept at creating distractions. And this distraction was necessary for every member of their household's sake. Concentrating hard, Mebuki lit her fingers with healing chakra, and gently pressed them into her daughter's cheekbone, speeding up the molecules and healing process from the inside out.

Sakura watched her mother in wonder as she felt the cooling comfort of her chakra on her bruised flesh. It only took a few moments, before her mother was once again pulling away.

 _Story of her life…_

"You should squeeze in a quick shower before dinner," Mebuki said, already halfway out of the room.

She nodded dutifully and stiffly rose from the chair. Her face may be healed, but the rest of her body was an aching mess. Trudging footsteps ascended the stairs and headed towards the bathroom. Once inside she locked the door and leaned against the heavy wood.

Sakura felt like a mess.

Too many things had happened in the past week and it felt as though it was impossible to process it all. She was a girl who liked routine. She liked waking up in the morning and meditating or practicing in the garden. She liked that she knew where she stood with her peers and senseis at the academy. She _loved_ knowing that she was one of the brightest students.

It may have been a bit boring, but she liked this system. She knew exactly where she fit in on the large scale of things.

But being a shinobi was not at all predictable. Their lifestyle demanded that one was prepared for anything. The winds of war changed within an instant and an enemy wouldn't hardly be so kind to inform you when they were going to attack. Sakura had known all this, had even _reveled_ in this. This was a life where she would never be bored. Her mind would always be at work and she would experience the adventures she had always longed for.

She had thought she could handle it. She had cast away any bouts of child like naïveté a long time ago. And yet this past week made her feel like she was drowning. Eyes opened under water and viewing everything through cloudy distortion. What was _wrong_ with her? She should have been able to handle this!

Her malicious family was something that she had long grown accustomed to. Adding a relative who had a penchant for molesting young girls shouldn't have even made her bat an eye- so _why_ was she so hung up on this? She was used to being treated like dirt, and granted his way of degrading her was something new, but she shouldn't be letting this get to her!

And her teammates… She was acting so callously, so unlike herself around them! Sasuke and Naruto were bound to get suspicious if she kept going into hysterics over trivial incidents. Granted, they may just think she is a horribly pathetic girl, and while that was more appealing than them finding out the truth, it grated on her ego.

Between her family, and her teammates she needed to get a handle on things. She had handled shocking revelations and cruel treatment at a younger age with more dignity, she could do it again.

She just needed to get a hold of herself. Sakura closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. And when she retreated into herself, she once again found her inner body reflecting her turbulent thoughts. So repeating her earlier practice, she harnessed all the negative feelings- the fear, the panic, the self loathing and added them to the black mass inside her. It pulsed wildly.

And while harboring darkness inside of her was both unappealing and unsettling, she would do it. If it meant that she could cling to or at least adapt to some semblance or normality, then she would without complaint. It was something that she could look into later, once she regained her bearings- once she figured out where exactly she placed in this new daily hierarchy.

Sighing, she shed her torn and dirty clothing and stepped into the shower, feeling like she was about to do much more than just a physical cleansing. And when she emerged Sakura felt better. More like herself, less weighed down.

The rest of the evening was quiet. Her father never showed up for dinner. Neither she or her mother were surprised as he often spent the nights at his shop. Sakura wasn't one hundred percent sure what he got up to when he stayed out all night, but she had enough unpleasant speculations.

And she would never voice those suspicions aloud because despite the fact that her father was a horrible, vile man that treated her mother terribly, she had a sorrowful suspicion that her mother still loved the man. And Sakura couldn't quite decide if that was heartbreaking or pathetic. But the lack of his presence made her decent into sleep easier and that was all that mattered.

The next morning Sakura woke up before her alarm, sweating and shaking due to a dream she couldn't remember. But the physical proof that whatever her subconscious came up with was clearly alarming.

Shaking off her unease, Sakura slipped from her bed and took another quick shower, before bounding downstairs. As she collected her bento, she mused on whether or not she should bother packing a portion for Naruto. She decided not to. If Naruto wanted to become more independent than who was she to stand in his way?

Grabbing her weapons pouch, the pastel haired girl was out the door. It was earlier than she would have normally left by, but perhaps she would have time to complete some uninterrupted mediation and yoga. Perhaps she would make it to the bridge before Sasuke…

She stopped dead in her tracks. _Sasuke._

A grimace pulled at her lips. She wondered how she was supposed to act around him now? Especially after hissing at him to never touch her again- something that was completely unavoidable in their line of work. Should she apologize? She shook her head- no, that would mean that she would have to bring the incident up and she didn't want to linger on it. She wanted to erase the entire day.

Nodding her head at her decision, Sakura continued on. She would act as if the whole thing never occurred. She wouldn't mention it- she doubted _Sasuke_ would mention it. She would act like normal and Sasuke may be wary at first, but he was still a boy. And one thing that her observations had taught her was that boys were uncomfortable around emotional females. So he would avoid provoking an outburst. And then things would continue on like normal…until they actually were normal. Sakura estimated it would take about a week for the entire incident to be forgotten.

And as she approached the bridge a small smile tugged at her worried lips. It was _empty_. She would have time to get both her thoughts and emotions in order before facing her teammates.

Sitting down in customary lotus position Sakura methodically began her mediation ritual. And as focused on her inner self, she began sorting through her memories and emotions, filing them in the neat storage boxes in her mind. She studiously ignored the dark mass within her and then focused on her chakra. It was bright and humming, ready for the day.

Pulling out of her mediation, Sakura was surprised to note that she was still alone on the bridge, with no sign of her teammates. Looking to the sky she noted that the first rays of the sun were casting the village in brilliant hues of orange and pinks. It had to be closing in on six a.m.

Mentally shrugging and trying forcefully not to worry at the fact that perhaps her behavior yesterday had driven Sasuke and Naruto away, Sakura stood up and started on some katas. She made it through three before she felt Sasuke's chakra heading her way.

She shifted into another kata by the times Sasuke's silent footsteps had made it to the bridge.

"Good morning Sasuke," Sakura said, not looking at the boy.

Sasuke paused in his movement, and Sakura could feel those dark eyes boring into her.

"Good morning," he said after a long pause, and then continued to the other side of the bridge, once again perching himself on the railing.

She didn't mind the distance. He was probably trying to figure out how to interact with her. Which was fine because she had just shown him that she was going to act perfectly normal. She wouldn't ignore the Uchiha, but she wouldn't be overly friendly or aggressive either.

Shifting into another kata, Sakura added a few taijutsu moves to the routine. A smile crept over her face- she was feeling better. This morning felt blissfully _normal_.

…And then Naruto came running down the bridge.

"Good morning Sakura-chan! Are you alright after yesterday?" he said, his eyes getting uncomfortably close as they peered at her face. "Hey, your black eye is gone!"

Sakura swallowed back her scowl and the impulse to push him away from her. Naruto's intentions had never been anything but friendly.

"I'm fine, Naruto. If anything, I just feel embarrassed about yesterday," she said, knowing that Sasuke would overhear the conversation.

"Embarrassed? You shouldn't feel that way at all Sakura-chan! You were the only one of us to pass at the tests yesterday! And beside, teme was being such a jerk!" Naruto said, his blue eyes narrowing as he looked at the Sasuke over her shoulder.

Sakura forced a light laugh out of her lips. "It's not Sasuke's fault that I overreacted. He was perfectly valid in attacking and I freaked out. Don't be angry with him Naruto, I'm not."

And while Sakura wasn't one hundred percent sure that statement was true, as Sasuke was an asshole of epic proportions yesterday, she didn't want to cause a rift between the three of them.

"Yeah, but the teme should have stopped attacking when you yelled," Naruto stubbornly protested.

"Naruto, I am training to become a shinobi just like you. Enemies much more dangerous than Sasuke are not going to simply stop an attack because I ask them to," Sakura explained with more patience than she was feeling.

Naruto still looked surly and unconvinced, but he didn't say anything else on the matter. Instead he began talking her ear off about how he would be Konoha's greatest Hokage.

Hours passed as Naruto nattered on. Sasuke remained silent, not even allowing himself to be lured into a petty argument by Naruto. And Sakura too remained quiet; except for the few times Naruto prodded her into answering questions.

When Kakashi-sensei finally bothered to show up the sun was high in the sky. Sakura was sure it was closer to noon than their designated meeting time.

" _Where_ have you been?" Naruto questioned, sounding like an irate mother hen.

"Well you see-" he began.

"-Never mind," Sasuke huffed, jumping down from the fence post. "Lets just get to it."

"I didn't realize my students were so eager!" Kakashi said clapping his hands together. "Since you are so raring to go, why don't you start with suicide sprints. I want them to stretch across the entire training ground."

Naruto groaned, but Sakura just continued on. Her body was still sore from the beating it took the day before, but she would just have to work through the pain.

And painful it was. But if anything, the pain was a welcome distraction. Nothing took the mind off troubling thoughts like burning muscles. When the suicides were finally finished, all three of them were tired and sweaty.

Kakashi-sensei's eye crinkled in a sure sign of a smile at the pitiful sight they made. He of course looked fresh as a daisy, seated with his little orange book of perversion.

"Alright kiddies, now I want you to do lunges, crunches, one armed push ups, and chin ups on that tree. First one to pass out has to clean my apartment."

Each of them stared at their sensei for a moment, debating whether or not he was serious about cleaning… or if that was legal?

"Chop, chop!"

Each exercise felt like an eternity before Kakashi-sensei would tell them to switch to the next one. Sakura was too exhausted to check up on how her teammates were faring in comparison. The one upside, beside the obvious fitness was that the workout required silence for the most part. Sure, Naruto jabbered on a bit, but Sasuke was acting even more cold and quiet than usual. He didn't rise to any of Naruto's bait.

It was only during their brief lunch break did Sakura finally take real notice of the tension. When they weren't too busy sweating, the silence felt more pronounced. Which was such a strange thing seeing as neither she nor Sasuke had ever been particularly chatty, especially not with each other. But she supposed it was the type of stiff silence that those stewing in anger, nerves, or guilt tend to display. And right now her team was experiencing it- all because of her.

But her wish to keep moving on ahead and forget about the previous day would not allow her to bring it up. Her pride was sore enough that she didn't want to have to actually apologize to Sasuke. Especially when she was the one that attacked her in the first place!

After they all finished their lunches, Naruto noisily slurping up the last of his instant ramen noodles, Kakashi gathered them around.

"Today we are going to work on sparing with each other, using taijutsu only. Sasuke, Naruto, you're up first."

The two boys stood and seemed to size each other up. And for the first time that day Sasuke looked a little more like himself as he sent Naruto an arrogant smirk.

"Quit smiling teme, I'm so going to kick your ass!" Naruto growled back, ready to lunge.

"Ah, Naruto, don't start until I say so," Kakashi interrupted. "Besides, Sakura-chan and I need to get out of the way."

He placed one large hand on her should to steer her away from the fight, and Sakura couldn't help her instant reaction. She physically flinched away from his touch. The feel of his adult hand near her body made her stomach drop.

Kakashi removed his hand instantly, but her stomach still remained somewhere in her feet. She cursed herself for reacting so callously. He was her sensei for Kami's sake, his touch didn't _mean_ anything! But a little voice in her head sneered that _family_ wasn't supposed to touch you they way they did either…

She wanted to scream, but instead she took a seat near Kakashi instead.

And she watched Sasuke and Naruto fight, studying their moves intently. Both the way they strategized and attacked was very telling towards their character. Naruto would simply try to barrel into Sasuke. Occasionally, he would show a glimpse of cleverness by tricking Sasuke, but for the most part he was an uncoordinated energetic mess. Sasuke on the other hand seemed to be perfectly in control. Every attack, defense and dodge was made with a purpose. And part of that purpose was to taunt Naruto into losing his head.

It was fascinating to watch and Sakura could only wonder what they would see when they fought her. The spar ended when Sasuke apparently felt like he was finished toying with his opponent and pinned Naruto.

"Naruto, don't let your opponents goad you into attacking without thought," Kakashi said, as the boys got up. "Sasuke, if you can finish a fight, do it. Don't play with an opponent because they may surprise you. Alright Sakura-chan, you're up next. You and Naruto can have a round."

Sakura rose to her feet and looked over to meet Naruto's eyes. He looked uncharacteristically nervous and completely hesitant. And that simply _wouldn't_ do.

"Don't go easy on me," Sakura said, smiling as she walked past the whiskered cheeked boy, "Because I won't go easy on you."

"Alright Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, running towards her. And yet he still looked uncomfortable facing her. Adrenalin hummed in her veins. And for once she didn't feel dread concerning touch- this was a whole new playing field.

"Begin!" Kakashi called from the sidelines where he and Sasuke were now sitting.

Sakura didn't waste any time, lashing her right leg out, and catching Naruto in the side. As his momentum carried him over, her left fist crashed into his ear.

Naruto dropped down for a moment, but he looked more shocked than hurt.

Sakura stalked towards him, a lioness after her prey. But Naruto's foot kicked out faster than she expected. She tripped over him landing on the ground beside him. Thrusting her elbow out, Sakura caught him in the ribs and he wheezed. Naruto dove towards her, seemingly going for the pin, but he stopped, eyes panicked. And Sakura rolled away from him before jumping to her feet and headlocking the blonde.

"Call," Kakashi-sensei said.

Sakura instantly let go of her teammate and held a hand out to help him up.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, a half smile playing on his lips.

The two walked over to where Kakashi and Sasuke were sitting.

"Sakura, remember to cover your left side when you are attacking. Naruto," Kakashi sighed and Naruto's head drooped, "I know you don't want to hurt your teammate, but Sakura-chan is going to get hurt worse from an actual enemy if she doesn't learn now."

And the small ray of happiness that she had been feeling at triumphing over an opponent, even a goofball like Naruto vanished. Because clearly Kakashi didn't think her skills were that notable, and clearly Naruto had thrown the fight. Anger burned within her. She had worked _so_ hard and she was still behind!

"Sasuke, Sakura, you're up next," Kakashi-said.

Sakura barely managed to stop herself from stomping over to the sparing spot. Sasuke's footsteps were that of a ghost coming from behind her. She turned to face her opponent and was surprised when Sasuke's dark eyes met hers without hesitation.

"I-" Sasuke started.

But Kakashi was already calling 'begin.'

Sakura lashed out, anger fuelling her movements. Once again she kicked at him, knowing her legs were her more powerful limbs. Sasuke dodged and grabbed her foot, yanking her leg towards him. She had to bow her back to dodge his oncoming fist. Instead she brought her other leg up around his waist and squeezed tightly.

Sasuke's eyes widened, clearly not expecting such a daring move. One of his hands gripped her thigh, trying to wrench her off, while his other hand shot to her throat. Sakura dropped both legs in panic and flipped away from him.

Sasuke kept coming, and they practiced an odd dance of attacking and blocking, until Sasuke's foot shot out and connected with her ribs.

And the moment her body hit the ground he was on her. But this time when Sakura met his eyes she noticed the hesitation in them- he didn't want to be pinning her any more than she did. Eyes that looked terribly torn as they bore into her own.

"Call," Kakashi said.

Sasuke was off her instantly. Sakura slowly rose to her feet, her mind spinning. She didn't even listen to Kakashi-sensei's advice; her mind was reeling.

"Alright you three, go home and rest," Kakashi said, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura's eyes remained on the spot he had occupied, until Naruto dragged her out of her thoughts.

"Sakura-chan would you like to go get some ramen with me?"

And looking into such sincere eyes, Sakura forgot her earlier anger with him. What would _she_ do if she had to fight against someone she was crushing on? Probably nothing as noble as what Naruto did in letting her win, but still she recognized how uncomfortable that must have been for him.

"Sure."

His eyes lit up, "Really? This is going to be so much fun!" His head swung towards Sasuke, who was collecting his empty bento. "Are you coming teme?"

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, before he finally shrugged, "Hn."

Both of them took that as a 'yes.'

Naruto whooped and then began happily chattering, informing them about the delights that were served at Ichirakus. When they arrived the three snagged some stools and quickly ordered. Naruto introduced Sasuke and Sakura to the owner. And when their food arrived, Sakura watched in increasing incredulity as Naruto gulped down bowl after bowl.

"Perhaps you should slow down. You don't want to get sick," Sakura suggested. Sasuke, who was sitting on the other side of her snorted.

"Sick from ramen? Never!"

"Try swallowing your food before talking dobe," Sasuke drawled.

Naruto childishly stuck out his tongue, showcasing a mouth full of half eaten noodles. Sakura flinched away, as that tongue was _far_ too close to her.

"Eh, sorry Sakura-chan."

She grimaced, while pushing her half finished bowl away from her, appetite officially gone.

"Well I should get going," Sakura announced, her eyes taking note of the dimming sky. Her father would be leaving his shop soon and she didn't want him to catch her out eating with her teammates.

"Already?" Naruto pouted.

Sakura nodded, placing some money on the counter. She hopped off the stool and gave her teammates a quick wave before talking off towards her house.

"Sakura," a familiar voice called.

Turning around she came face to face with Sasuke.

"About yesterday, I'm-"

"I know," she said, not letting him finish. Because if he apologized than she would have to too. And her apology wouldn't make sense without a full explanation.

Sasuke's eyes widened, but still the emotions swirling with them were unreadable.

Sakura offered him a small smile before turning around and continuing her walk home. She felt a little bit lighter, and couldn't for the life of her understand why.

 **A/N: Because not every chapter can end with doom and gloom. I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless! I had a lot more planned for this chapter, but it was getting far too long, so I had to split it.**

 **Big things are going to start happening! I'm really excited!**

 **Anyways, please review and let me know what you thought! Your reviews are so inspiring!**

 **-Nyx**


	11. The Spider and the Fly

**Chapter 10: The Spider and the Fly**

"' _Will you walk into my parlor?' said the spider to the fly;_

' _Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy._

 _The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,_

 _And I have many pretty things to show you when you are there.'_

' _Oh no, no,' said the little fly, to ask me is in vain,_

 _For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again.'"_

 _-Mary Howitt_

A week passed in a frustrating combination of exhilaration and exhausting monotony. Every day Sakura would show up at the bridge just after Sasuke. She would mediate and re-sort the frazzled chaos that was her inner system. Everyday Naruto would show up and jabber on about something ludicrous. And much to Team Seven's frustration, everyday their silver haired sensei would show up agonizingly late, terrible excuse at hand, and make them complete mind numbing, muscle burning, sleep til' you're dead exercises.

Sakura had had _enough_.

She had been under the impression that being a shinobi required a skillful mind, strong body, and cunning ruthlessness. So far Kakashi-sensei was only allowing them to work on the 'strong body' part of that.

Everyday he would gleefully toss out an order of exercises for them to complete, while remaining slouched against a tree reading that damned Icha Icha book.

There were no lessons on how to create mission strategies, different battle formations, hell, not even a lesson on how to properly sneak up on someone. Naruto of all people could use a lesson on that.

Sakura had figured that Kakashi-sensei wanted them to learn through their own trials and errors when sparing or completing whatever training tasks he had assigned with each other. But with absolutely no input from him on how to improve it was useless.

And what was most frustrating of all was that Kakashi-sensei wouldn't let them accept a single mission. He kept prattling on about how they weren't ready yet and how they needed to improve their teamwork. And while Sakura could admit, their teamwork was certainly less than desirable, especially with Naruto and Sasuke getting into fights more often than not, she still longed for a real mission. They all did. It was probably the only thing Sasuke and Naruto could agree on.

She had expected that the famous Copy-Cat nin would be teaching them all sorts of exciting jutsus by now- that they would out in the world, using their new found knowledge for important things. Sure, Sakura was realistic enough to know that they were only genin and important missions wouldn't fall to them. But at this point she was willing to do _anything_ as long it was stamped with an 'official' mission status.

So on the eighth day of being a part of Team Seven, she deigned to do something. Clearly Naruto's whining and Sasuke's demands had done nothing to convince their sensei to accept a mission. So naturally, it was up to her.

As she meditated on the bridge that morning, she studiously ignored the rapidly growing black mass writhing inside of her, and strategized on ways to bring up accepting a mission without sounding like she was complaining.

She thought about using the face that many parent's had coined 'puppy dog eyes' to win her sensei over. But Sakura had never _ever_ used any sort of pleading tactic on her own family, knowing it would be futile. So she wasn't keen to test it on her sensei. Besides, the thought of using a coy face and childish voice to con their sensei into accepting a mission was too much for her to stomach. She trashed that idea immediately.

Another, slightly more sinister, and definitely more ruthless idea popped in her mind and Sakura pondered it endlessly as she plucked at her chakra. She wondered if she had the brazenness to outright go through with it... If it backfired on her, than seeing her sensei on a day to day basis would be a thoroughly uncomfortable, not to mention potentially _dangerous_ situation if her sensei was a sadistic type of man.

But as Naruto thundered down the bridge already cursing about how Kakashi-sensei better give them a mission that day, she decided that Plan B might just be worth it.

"I mean, we are already awesome ninjas- at least you and me are Sakura-chan. We deserve a mission! Right?" Naruto declared, hands on his waist, and a fierce expression painting his face.

It took quite a bit of effort not to laugh at the picture he presented. "Right, Naruto," Sakura said, a small smile gracing her lips. "I think I will try and talk to Kakashi-sensei about it today…"

Naruto's entire face lit up, and even Sasuke turned to look at her.

"Do you want some help talking to the old man?"

Sakura nearly grimaced at the thought. Naruto was a lot of things, but subtly devious was not one of them. She caught Sasuke's eyes and he quirked a brow in question. She was sure they were both thinking the exact same thing about their teammate.

"No thank you, I have somewhat of a plan," she responded.

"What is it?" Naruto questioned.

Sakura bit her lip, not willing to divulge any details of it. She wasn't sure she wanted Naruto knowing the unsavory depths of her mind just yet. Not to mention Sasuke…

"How about I let you know if it's successful."

"Of course it will be! I know _you_ will be able to convince Kakashi-sensei to give us a mission. You're amazing!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura suppressed a sigh. As much as she was growing accustomed to her new teammates- she even went out for ramen with them once more, Naruto's crush was a problem. She needed to be able to rely on him as a teammate, not a love interest. Especially since the feelings were one- sided.

She couldn't decide if she was either a late bloomer or it was simply her personality, but Sakura scoffed at the idea of romance. She didn't have time for petty infatuations. She was destined for greatness and she would never allowed anyone to wield power over her like her mother had.

But at the same time she could recognize that not everyone grew up under the same circumstances as herself. Not everyone abhorred touch and shied away from a fairytale happily ever after sealed with a kiss. So she would subtly rebuff Naruto's advances, but she would never be outright cruel to him.

When Kakashi-sensei finally did show up, Sakura had to fight the urge to fidget. Nerves made her stomach squirm. An unhelpful mantra of ' _what if this doesn't work?'_ chanted through her brain.

"Alright Team Seven, you know the drill, start with laps," Kakashi drawled, not bothering to look up as he rooted through his pockets. No doubt for a copy of his favorite book series.

Sakura almost wanted to be angry at the small cowardly part of herself that was relieved at the delay in orchestrating her plan. She completed the laps, lunges, one- armed handstands, and twists with no complaint. She needed the distraction to gather her courage.

When lunch rolled around, it appeared as if Naruto and Sasuke's patience concerning her confrontation had worn out.

"When are you going to ask him about missions?" Sasuke said, dark eyes intent on her.

And as much as she wanted to avoid their intensity, Sakura didn't want to allow these two any other proof that she was weak.

Naruto stopped trying to heat his ramen cup and looked up to see her response.

Sakura held Sasuke's eye and pasted an indifferent expression on her face. An expression so very different than the nervousness she was reallyfeeling. "I thought I would bring it up once you two are paired together. One on one he may be more likely to say yes."

Sasuke nodded, his eyes growing distant as he thought over her response. Naruto on the other hand furrowed his brows.

"What if we all ask him together? If we all gang up on him, won't he be more likely to say yes? You know, practicing teamwork and all?"

Sakura thought over Naruto's suggestion. It actually was a fairly good idea, especially seeing as Kakashi-sensei kept preaching to them about teamwork. Perhaps she wouldn't have to go through with Plan B after all…

"Let Sakura try her plan first. If that doesn't work, we'll all ask him together," Sasuke stated.

The fates, she decided were against her.

After lunch was all finished, Kakashi-sensei called for Sasuke and Naruto to begin sparing against each other.

Sakura remained seated on the grass and tried not to be too conspicuous as she peered at her lazy sensei. His book, as always, was propped open, but upon closer glance, Sakura realized that his dark eye was not in fact reading the sordid pages. He was exceptionally good at hiding the fact that his gaze was intent on the two boys sparing.

Sakura gathered her courage and uttered a tentative, "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm?" he murmured, making a show of turning another page.

"When are you going to teach us one of your thousand jutsus?"

Kakashi's dark eye immediately snapped up to her face, and Sakura fought the impulse to swallow as her sensei stared at her.

" _My_ thousand jutsus?" he lightly questioned, but his intense stare gave him away.

Sakura almost felt offended at his boldness. Did he honestly think that she would attempt to manipulate him without checking her facts first? He may not have known her for very long, but everything from her academy records to her sparring performances should have indicated that she was anything but callous and negligent.

Feeling daring, she hummed nonchalantly in response.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean Sakura-chan…" Kakashi trailed off. His head was now cocked as he studied his smallest student.

"Oh I think you do sensei. They really should have given you a more discrete alias than 'Kakashi of the Sharingan'," Sakura said, proud of the ease in which her words flowed out.

Kakashi froze in a shockingly still motion as the word 'sharingan' left her lips.

"And what would you know about that?" Kakashi questioned, his eyes deliberately sliding away from Sakura, over to Sasuke, and back to Sakura again.

Sakura sighed, and attempted to fake an interest in her empty bento box, rather than he sensei's intense eye. "Only what the Bingo books could tell me, and rumors of course…"

Which was absolutely untrue, because Kakashi-sensei was mysterious enough outside of their team that there weren't any rumors circulating about him. Or at least none that reached her ears. But when bluffing it was always a rule of thumb that you presented yourself with more ammunition than you had.

"And have you told Sasuke about your newfound _knowledge_?" Kakashi asked, sarcasm dripping off the last word.

Sakura smiled angelically, the effect only ruined by the sharpness of her eyes, and internally wondered if this was her version of 'puppy eyes.'

"No, of course not. It would be cruel to give him hope…" she paused, feeling very dramatic. " _But_ I do think Sasuke deserves to know. Perhaps if we were busy with a mission though, it would slip my mind…"

Her attempt at being blasé was only ruined by the sweat dripping down the back of her neck. Thankfully, Kakashi-sensei couldn't see it.

Kakashi stared at her for a moment before throwing his head back and letting out a deep laugh.

Sakura scowled not at all appreciative of his amusement at her expense. Especially when it took her quite some time to work up the nerve to blackmail him.

"Of all the attempts to get a mission, yours has been the best Sakura-chan," Kakashi said, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

Sakura's scowl deepened and she shifted out of his reach.

"Boys," Kakashi called, "come over here."

Sasuke and Naruto both ran over, their eyes automatically shifting to her. She read the unspoken question of 'did it work?' in both their eyes and shrugged in response. Kakashi-sensei had neither accepted nor declined her proposition.

"I'm ending today's session early." Naruto opened his mouth, but Kakashi quickly continued on, "Sakura-chan has convinced me that you three are ready to go on a mission."

Sakura's heart dropped to her stomach, but she met Naruto's wide grin and Sasuke's smirk with a small giddy smile of her own. Her plan actually worked! They were going on a real mission!

"I'm giving you the rest of the day off to rest or practice as you see fit," Kakashi –sensei continued. "Tomorrow we will meet on the bridge at the same time as usual. I will collect our mission briefing from the Hokage before meeting you."

"And don't you dare be late Kaka-sensei! A mission depends on it!" Naruto fussed.

Kakashi just smirked at the boy before doing quick hand signs and disappearing in his signature cloud of smoke.

"So what _exactly_ did you say to him to get him to agree?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura knew the key to boldfaced lying was to not fidget and to keep eye contact. But a shriveled up part of her conscience kept her from meeting Sasuke's eyes. She truly was a horrible friend for not telling him about Kakashi's sharingan, and then using that knowledge to her own benefit.

 _But_ , another darker voice whispered- it's for his benefit too.

"Just the regular pleading. I think he's just soft because I'm a girl," Sakura said as she bent over to pick up her bag.

Naruto laughed, but Sasuke remained silent in his observation of her.

"We should go get ramen to celebrate!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura hid a grimace- she didn't think she could stomach another bowl of the sodium packed meal. "Perhaps once we are successful with our mission than we should celebrate."

Naruto gave her a look of disbelief, and Sasuke caught her elbow, ignoring the way she tensed at his touch, as he pulled her off the training grounds towards Ichirakus behind a happily chattering Naruto.

"I wonder if we are guarding a princess? Or maybe stop a group of bandits? Oh, I know, we are probably retrieving a stolen scroll!"

They ate their ramen at a leisurely pace, while Naruto both entertained and annoyed them with possibilities at what their mission would be. Sakura doubted any of the glamorous possibilities that Naruto came up with would be their assignment. But listening to him was amusing.

And when they all parted ways, Sakura felt excitement bubble up within her. Her _first_ mission! She knew it wouldn't be nearly as exhilarating or dangerous as anything Naruto had described, but she still hoped it was thrilling.

She was in such a good mood for the rest of the day that even Misa-sensei noticed as she helped her train with her whip. And when she got home, she easily ignored her father's beady glare and sneering mouth.

She crawled into bed extra early that night, wanting a full nights rest in preparation for tomorrow's mission.

But as Sakura closed her emerald eyes, sleep lulling her into the abyss, it seemed as though another inner eye opened and exposed her to the most radical sort of dream.

 _Her feet sunk into the plush carpet as she travelled down the hallway. Impressive and expensive paintings lined the walls, and normally_ _they would have caught her gaze, but not tonight._

 _A tall mahogany door, slightly ajar stood at the end of the hallway. Anticipation rushed through her veins as she crept closer to it. Her heart was thudding the beat of a nervous drum, as her small hand pushed the door open slightly. Green eyes watched a peculiar scene through the crack in the door._

 _A woman with long auburn hair and a shimmering gold gown was standing next to a large grated fireplace. Her back facing the door, but Sakura could already tell that she was beautiful. In front of the enchanting woman, a man in traditional shinobi gear lay writhing at her feet. With only the dim light from the fire cast on his seizing body, Sakura couldn't tell if he was experiencing pain or pleasure._

 _But as the man's back bowed off the floor to impressive heights, he suddenly coughed and bright crimson blood splattered out of his mouth and down his neck. Sakura's heart leapt in shock as she spotted the empty vial lying near his shaking form._

 _Her breath caught in her throat as the woman tilted her head to look over her shoulder. Bright green eyes captured her own, a mouse paralyzed in a viper's gaze. A smirk pulled at the woman's plush ruby lips._

 _"Come inside my dear."_

 _Her voice was stunning. Smooth as the finest silks, yet husky with womanly charm. It lilted with a strange musical quality. But above all, the woman's voice felt powerfully compelling._

 _Sakura found herself automatically pushing open the door, her feet taking her inside the extravagant room. She drew herself up next to the woman, feeling an odd combination of terror and exhilaration._

 _The woman was staring down at the now twitching man at her feet, her gaze dispassionate. Her eyes held cruel mischief as she turned to look at Sakura._

 _"I have been playing with him all evening, but I thought I would save the grand finale for you," the woman said, her words trickling out in rushed excitement._

 _Sakura's stomach clenched and breathing picked up. Her whole body felt as if it was on fire. In a_ good _way._

 _"Do it," the woman said._

 _Sakura's breath hitched. The man's twitching stopped, and he turned his agonized eyes to her._

 _"Do it," the woman repeated in a caressing whisper. "Say the words. Put him out of his misery."_

 _Sakura inhaled deeply and opened her mouth. And just as the words- the words that she knew would end it all were ready to flow off the tip of her tongue, her eyes flickered from the man's haunted brown up to his forehead protector. A forehead protector that claimed his as one of the Hidden Leaf._

Sakura gasped as she wrenched herself upright in bed. She exhaled shakily and absently reached over to shut of the trilling alarm clock. She had never had such a vivid dream before. And she had never been pulled out of sleep quite like that before- even now the details of dream remained startling clear.

A shiver crept along her spine as Sakura realized what impulse she had been about to give into. And although it made absolutely no sense, she had wanted to kill the Leaf nin. She wasn't exactly sure how, but she had been sickeningly excited at the prospect… And who was that woman? She burrowed further under the covers and pondered over just what her subconscious was trying to tell her.

But as she heard her father rustling around downstairs, Sakura shook the pointless thoughts out of her head. It was just a _dream_. The woman, the nin, and her gruesome thrill at the prospect of murder were all just figments of her imagination. She shouldn't waste her time lingering on what her subconscious was creating and should focus on her mission instead!

Jumping out of bed, Sakura darted out her door and into the bathroom for a quick shower. She hastily threw on some nin shorts and a black tunic. Grabbing her weapons pouch, and bag, she added some more weapons and a few medical supplies to it, along with her bento.

She ran down the road, not able to control her excitement and continue at her regular leisurely pace. It didn't matter that Kakashi-sensei probably wouldn't be there for hours, or that Sasuke or Naruto would tease her for it. Nothing could quash her enthusiasm.

And when she reached the bridge, only slightly out of breath, and definitely early, Sasuke was already perched on the railing. He raised a brow at her uncharacteristically uncouth entrance.

"What?" Sakura demanded, feeling the flush rise to her cheeks.

Sasuke only smirked in response.

Huffing, Sakura leaned against the posts opposite to him. "What do you think he will have us do today?"

"I'm not sure," Sasuke said with a small shrug, " _Not_ rescuing princesses or facing bandits."

A surprised laugh trilled from her lips. She had yet to hear Sasuke make a joke. Or at least one that wasn't intentionally cruel and not to Naruto's face.

"No probably not," she agreed.

Her thoughts still spun as she considered what they would do. Genin were typically used as messengers.

"You really aren't going to tell us what you did to make Kakashi agree to a mission?" Sasuke asked, eyes intent on her.

She avoided his eyes once again, and arranged herself in her usual meditation pose.

"Very _subtle_ evasion," Sasuke snarked.

"Thank you," Sakura sassed back before closing her eyes.

She knew that mediation would do her body a world of good. The strange combination of her macabre dream and her excitement for the mission had her body in pandemonium. But she couldn't concentrate properly- she was too busy trying to think what exactly Kakashi-sensei would have them do…

She idly noted that the chakra on her throat had once again gotten thicker. Sometimes she wondered if instead of getting an external growth spurt like everyone else seemed to, she was getting an internal one.

"Sakura-chan, its mission day!" Naruto shouted as he practically flew down the bridge towards her.

Sakura opened her eyes, willing to accept defeat on her meditation. Especially with Naruto around.

"Are you excited?" Sakura questioned.

Naruto grinned a wide grin, "Are you kidding me? It's going to be awesome!" He then seemed to take notice of Sasuke's lounging form. "Eh, I already know I'll succeed, I'm one of the top genin already."

Sasuke snorted, "The only thing you are the best at dobe, is embarrassing yourself."

"Shut up teme! Not even _you_ can ruin this day."

Sakura rolled her eyes as the bickering started and pulled a scroll out of her bag. She had been woefully neglectful of her reading lately. And Muzuki-sensei had always told her that training the brain was just as important as training the body. Sakura could only hope that Kakashi-sensei would adopt the same outlook. As he limbs felt tired and aching every night, but her mind felt thirsty for some sort of new tactics.

By the time Kakashi-sensei had shown up, Naruto and Sasuke had calmed down slightly, not wanting their sensei to change his mind about the mission at the sight of their arguing. But their competitive nature couldn't quite prevent them from shooting each other comically fierce glares.

"Alright you three, I need you to pay very close attention," Kakashi said, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

He unrolled a small scroll and scanned its contents. Sakura found herself leaning forward slightly.

"Well? What is it?" Naruto demanded, practically bouncing.

Sasuke seemed similarly eager, but his anticipation was only belied by his stiff posture.

"Team Seven you have a mission from the Madam Shijimi, the Fire Diamyo's wife," Kakashi announced.

Sakura sucked her breath in sharply, ignoring Naruto's excited shout. She had never expected to receive a mission from someone so important.

"What does she want us to do?" Sakura asked, not willing to believe their luck.

"Ah," Kakashi said scratching the back of his head. "Madam Shijimi has lost one of her prized possessions. She needs you three to retrieve it for her."

"And what sort of possession did she lose?" Sasuke questioned, suspicion blatant in his voice.

It appeared as if he too was thinking this was too good to be true.

"Stop being such a downer, teme! We get to go on a mission for the Diamyo's wife!"

"Dobe," Sakura her Sasuke scoff under his breath.

"She lost her cat, Torra. Torra is very dear to her," Kakashi said, his voice so bland that it had to be covering up amusement.

The declaration made her slump slightly. So it wasn't exactly the ideal mission, but at least it was a mission. And it was a mission for an important person. At least finding a simple cat wouldn't be too hard…

 _Five_ hours later, riddled with too many scratches to count, and having to break up fights at least seven times, Sakura had to reassess her earlier opinion. Finding the stupid cat was indeed hard. She almost suspected that it was either a secret nin cat or had another few tails, as the animal was surely demonic. It clearly had a knack for sensing nearing genin.

Even though they had come up with a somewhat decent plan, their teamwork _sucked_. Sasuke seemed to think he was their de-facto leader, which Naruto took great offense to. Sakura didn't know if Naruto realized it, but every time he bungled up a plan or started to loudly protest, Torra would be gone with the wind. Each time they tried tracking the cat, something horrific would happen.

And Kakashi-sensei was absolutely no help! Every time they would look his way, asking for help or suggestions, he would look her dead in the eye and say 'you asked for a mission, _you_ have to complete it.' And every time Sakura got within six feet of the stupid cat, Kakashi-sensei seemed to poof out of nowhere to check on them. Sakura was thoroughly convinced that this was his payback for trying to blackmail him.

In the end it took Sakura noticing the cat, Sasuke grabbing it and throwing it at Naruto, and Naruto potentially being exposed to rabies as the cat sliced his face to ribbons before they stuffed it in a bag. Madam Shijimi had burst into tears of relief as they delivered her devil cat.

"Good work Team Seven," Kakashi-sensei said, smiling at their ragged forms. "Sakura-chan since you requested this mission, I think its only fair that you write the mission report. Have it done by tomorrow and I'll hand it in to the Hokage."

Sakura grit her teeth as they were dismissed. She hurried away before Naruto could suggest they go out for ramen. She was in no mood to deal with her two idiotic teammates anymore than she had to.

Writing the mission report wasn't nearly as challenging as she thought it would be. She remembered Iruka-sensei telling her class that all you had to do was recount the most import highlights of the mission. And Sakura couldn't help but feel bad for the Hokage if he actually had to waste his time reading reports on genin chasing after cats. The only difficult part of the exercise was trying to politely phrase Naruto and Sasuke's ridiculousness.

The next day Sakura delivered their mission briefing and was surprised when Kakashi-sensei had another mission set out for them- pulling weeds in a civilian's garden. And if Sakura had any doubt whether or not Kakashi was punishing her, it was made very clear as he each portioned off bits of the garden to work on. Sakura was given the biggest portion of land, filled with the most weeds.

And Naruto, the absolute _idiot_ , had spent the day uprooting the owner's flowers instead of the weeds. Sakura didn't know what she should be more embarrassed about- having to weed a garden for a mission or _failing_ at it.

And after that Kakashi-sensei had them picking litter out of the river. Sakura wished she could confirm whether or not he was wearing a gleeful smile as he handed her the trash bag. And once again, a mission that anyone with half a brain should have been able to complete was _failed_ when Naruto and Sasuke started fighting and Naruto fell in the river.

At the end of the week Sakura felt both humiliated and frustrated. She would have almost preferred getting no missions to the stupid 'D' ranked ones they were being sent on. And adding to the fact that she wasn't sleeping well, having either that same strange dream reoccur or nightmares about Great Uncle Itsuki plague her.

The only thing that made it all slightly worthwhile was on Friday afternoon, Kakashi-sensei pulled out three pouches of money for each of them. Naruto cheered as he rooted through his pouch and Sasuke wordlessly accepted his.

Sakura waited until they were all dismissed before she opened the sack and counted her earnings. A smile curled across her lips when she realized she had enough money to coat her whip in flame resistant sealant like the one Misa-sensei had. And if she had that, she could practice elemental jutsus with her whip.

Entering the weapons shop, Sakura went straight to the polishes. She picked out the correct one that Misa-sensei had shown her. Handing over her measly payment, Sakura pocketed the polish and ran back to the training ground. There was no point practicing at home where she could both damage the house and get in exponential amounts of trouble.

But Training Ground Three had been empty since Naruto chased Sasuke off of it earlier that afternoon. Pulling out the rag that came with the coating, Sakura unscrewed the cap and slathered the thick material onto her whip. It shined in the sunlight, looking like a large black snake basking in the sun.

Sakura reread up on combining weapons with fire jutsu as she waited for the coating to dry. She felt confident in her ability and once the forty-five minute drying time was up, she assertively gripped her whip. A tiny part of her wondered if she should wait for Misa-sensei to practice this, but she squashed that voice. She was here now.

Practicing one of the safer jutsus, Sakura waved her whip out in slight patterns, in place of hand signs, and channeled her chakra into the whip. Sparks danced down the length of it. Sakura grinned.

 _Success._

She consulted her book again, looking for another more powerful jutsu. Spotting one where flames would actually leap out of the whip, Sakura swished her whip and poured more of her chakra into it. Her chakra stuttered in protest, but Sakura stubbornly held on, trying to gather some of the energy from the large cluster of spiritual energy in her throat.

But the result she got was unexpected. Instead of letting the energy flow out, the chakra based at her throat seemingly objected and started sucking the energy back in. She cried out in pain as open flames danced up her arms.

Dropping her whip in panic, Sakura frantically started patting down the sleeves of her shirt and arm bindings.

She was in such a state of frenzy that she hadn't even realized when another person had shown up on the training grounds after hearing her cry. And when a large hand clamped down on her, quelling the last twirling bit of flame clinging to her cuff, she screamed again.

 **A/N: Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

 **-Nyx**


	12. Slipping Away

**Chapter 11: Slipping Away**

" _Just as a snake_

 _sheds its skin, we_

 _must shed our past_

 _over and over again."_

 _-Buddha_

When the large hand clamped down on the last trailing flame atop her shoulder, Sakura screamed once again. Not out of pain- though she was in a considerable amount of that, but in panicked terror. She quickly grabbed a kunai out of her weapons pouch and whirled around to meet her attacker.

"Whoa, easy there little lady," the man drawled, retracting his hand from her shoulder and raising both hands in a placating 'surrender' position.

Sakura's eyes darted up from the senbon he was chewing on, to the Konoha forehead protector that was wrapped around shaggy brown hair. Dark eyes that looked strangely familiar were lit up in what Sakura suspected was amusement.

She lowered her kunai, but made no move to put it back in her pouch. Green eyes remained fixed on the man in front of her incase he made any sudden movements.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

A confident smirk tugged at his lips, "My name is Shiranui Genma, and who might you be?"

Her grip on her kunai loosened a little more, especially when she noted that he was wearing the jounin uniform that was standard to Konoha.

"Haruno Sakura," she answered, voice more polite than her original demand.

"Well Sakura-chan, I'm guessing that those burns are throbbing pretty badly. How about I escort you to the hospital?"

His eyes lingered on her burnt clothing and blistered shoulders. But the gaze was one of clinical detachment- no dark excitement blatant in their depths.

Sakura found herself relaxing a bit more. Surely she could trust a Konoha nin…

And now that she wasn't afraid of him attacking, the pain in her system was making itself more known. The burns that trailed from her fingers to the round curvature of her shoulders was throbbing in agony. From the bits of skin she could see through her ruined shirt, they was puckered in angry red blotches, or blistered white.

But as kind as Genma-san was in assisting her, she didn't want him taking her to the hospital.

She didn't want to go to the hospital _at all_.

It was embarrassing enough that a jounin had witnessed her failed attempt at ninjutsu. It would be even more embarrassing having him shuffle her to the hospital like a clumsy child.

She had some medical scrolls stockpiled in her room, and Sakura was sure she could manage to figure them out. That way she could heal her wounds in _private._ As long as her chakra didn't act up again...

"No thank you Shiranui-san."

The man paused, and tilted his head as he studied her. Sakura grew more nervous the longer the inspection took.

"I'm afraid I must insist. What kind of gentleman would I be if I left an injured lady out here on her own? Especially when I'm unsure of whether or not she will seek the proper help," Genma said, senbon moving from the right side of his mouth to the left as he spoke.

His words were perfectly polite, but from the roguish smirk on his face, Sakura had the feeling that Genma-san wasn't much of a gentleman at all.

"I don't want to waste your time. I'm sure you're very busy," she explained, widening her eyes imploringly.

"I'm not too busy to take you to the hospital… You know if you wait too long with burn wounds they will easily become infected. And once wounds are infected, they usually have to be amputated."

Sakura's rebuttal paused on her lips. She _hadn't_ heard of that before… Usually infected wounds just needed antibiotics, unless the infection had caused mass tissue disintegration. But she wasn't sure about burn wounds in particular… And surely, Genma-san wouldn't lie to her.

"I suppose you are right," Sakura said with a sigh.

She bent over and gathered her belongings, wincing as the rough handle of her whip bit into the burnt flesh on her palm. At least the whip hadn't been damaged…

As the two made their way over to the hospital, Sakura could feel Genma studying her out of the corner of his eye. She made sure not to tense up at his scrutiny, but still felt wholly uncomfortable under it.

"If you are a genin Sakura-chan, than who is your sensei?" Genma questioned, his voice light and carefree.

It was Sakura's turn to discreetly study the man, wondering if he was just making small talk, or he was interested for another reason.

"Hatake Kakashi is my sensei."

Genma's footsteps paused, and Sakura was shocked when a sharp bark of laughter rang out of him.

"Oh you poor kid. I wouldn't wish that lazy old man on anyone!"

Sakura idly wondered if she was supposed to defend her sensei's virtues to this man. But then she remembered how he had been punishing her in their missions, and how the man wasn't exactly _wrong_ in calling Kakashi-sensei 'lazy.' So she remained silent.

As the large hospital building loomed closer in the distance, Sakura wasn't sure whether or not she felt grateful at the upcoming loss of Genma-san's company. He was nice enough, but as with most strange men, Sakura couldn't help but keep her guard up. And having to be extra vigilant while in immense pain was not fun.

Once they neared the hospital entrance, Sakura felt embarrassment heat her cheeks. It was time to lose her chaperone.

"Well thank you for taking me to the hospital Shiranui-san. Your gentlemanly reputation is safe," Sakura said, the thinly veiled dig softened by her innocent tone.

Genma raised an eyebrow at her cheekiness. "Actually Sakura-chan, I think we should take a detour-"

Sakura's heart stopped for a moment. Her posture tensed, and eyes sharpened on the man.

"-to your sensei's place."

Her pace skidded to a halt and what little colour she had in her face drained.

"He should have plenty of burn salve on hand, and this way you don't have to fill out an accident report," Genma explained.

And though his words should have been comforting, her heart rate promptly pick up to a race. The fact that Genma-san's detour was not some sort of sick ploy was reassuring, but the fact he was delivering her to Kakashi-sensei's doorstep had panic whirling through her system. To have Kakashi, the brilliant S-ranked nin heal her should have been a comforting gesture. But she knew that her sharp sensei would pick up on her reluctance to expose her skin if he were to treat her. She didn't want any red flags to go up in his mind.

"I really don't think-" she began, but Genma continued on speaking.

"When we visit your _sensei_ ," Genma smirked at the word, "I'll let him know about your injuries. He'll fix you up. He should lighten up the work load as he knows you're recovering too."

"N-no, no, that's not necessary! I don't want to bother Kakashi-sensei. I'll just go in the hospital. We're already here anyways…"

Her statement came out like a jumbled demand. Sakura felt like cursing at her transparency. And even though she was loath to go to the hospital, it would be the lesser of two evils.

Genma's smirk fell as he looked at her in confusion. "I know Kakashi can be a bit harsh, but he's a good man kid. He'll fix you up good as new. And he isn't big on lecturing either, so that's always a plus."

Sakura's feet remained rooted to the ground, but her expression morphed into one of defeat. There was literally no possible way of getting out of this without coming off as even more suspicious as she already was for refusing treatment. Even if she lied and said her mother could heal her, Sakura knew that her mother's healing chakra wouldn't help burns. She needed salve…

Genma-san's eyes remained fix on her hesitant form, as her mind raced through her options. But as she processed all possible scenarios, her options whittled down to one.

"A-alright. I just don't want to disappoint him…" Sakura slowly said, trying to justify her vacillation.

Genma's senbon lifted with his half-smirk, "I wouldn't worry about that. Now, come on, his place isn't far."

As they walked over to Kakashi-sensei's residence, Sakura's pace slowed. She knew Genma wouldn't question her sluggishness as she was in a considerable amount of pain, but she was also trying to put off the inevitable. If only Naruto were here to cause some grand distraction…

While they crossed into the residential district, Genma-san questioned her about her teammates and if Kakashi made them complete the bell test. Sakura was aware her answers were half hearted, but she was too preoccupied to care. Genma-san either didn't notice (which was highly unlikely), or didn't mind, as he continued asking her questions about her training.

Five minutes later they arrived at an old, but obviously well maintained apartment complex. Genma climbed the stairs, Sakura trailing behind, until they reached the third floor. He stopped in front of a pale blue door at the end of the hallway.

Nerves scuttled down her spine, and her stomach felt slightly nauseous as Genma's large fist knocked against the wood.

"I hope you're not here about that poker game…" Kakashi-sensei's voice drawled as he opened the door. "Because I-" his words were lost as he spotted her small form hiding behind Genma.

Sakura was so nervous that she didn't even think to be surprised at the fact that Kakashi-sensei apparently donned his mask even while home alone.

Genma's eyebrow lifted in amusement, "Actually I'm here about one of your students. Mind if we come in?"

Kakashi sighed, as he swung the door open wider, "You know, out of the three of you, _you_ were the last one I expected to be at my doorstep in trouble, Sakura-chan."

Sakura swallowed through the lump in her throat as she followed Genma-san inside, aware of Kakashi-sensei's disapproving eye.

"Now, now Kakashi, Sakura-chan isn't in trouble. She just had a little accident," Genma explained, throwing himself down on Kakashi's couch.

Sakura ignored Genma's statement, as her eyes flittered around the apartment, absently taking in how clean and well maintained it was, as she looked for the exits.

"She just happened to burn herself while practice ninjutsu, and I spotted her. I was taking her to the hospital when I asked who her sensei was. You didn't tell me you were teaching," Genma continued. His eyes were fixed on the way Kakashi stared down at his nearly trembling student.

Sakura forced herself to remain motionless as Kakashi approached.

"What jutsu were you practicing?" Kakashi questioned as he crouched in front of her. His eyes roamed over her small form, taking in her burnt clothing and irritated skin.

Sakura had to clear her throat before she could get any words out; "I was trying to combine different fire ninjutsus with my whip. The first one worked, but the second one made my chakra go haywire. The flames went the wrong way…"

Kakashi remained silent, and his steady gaze made her avert her eyes like a naughty child who had just been caught misbehaving.

"Well," he said after a moment, "you're in luck. I have some burn salve."

He stood up and disappeared into the small kitchen.

"See, I told you kid. He's willing to help and will skip the lecture," Genma-san's voice piped up from behind her.

Sakura softly nodded, but remained silent. She couldn't fight off the dread that was still trudging through her system. Something told her that while Kakashi-sensei may not have lectured her, something much worse was coming.

Kakashi returned from his kitchen, holding a small white jar. He handed the little jar to her. "The bathroom is straight down the hall. Are you able to apply the salve yourself or do you need some help?"

" _Myself_!" Sakura instantly replied, and flushed as Kakashi furrowed his brow.

She retreated down the hallway, and ducked into the bathroom, closing the door with a firm thud.

"Geez Hatake, what the hell have you been doing to those kids?" Genma harshly whispered the moment the door closed.

Kakashi just tilted his head at the dark haired man sprawled across his couch.

Genma scowled at Kakashi's usual tightlipped demeanor.

"I found her at Training Ground Three _on fire_. And when I went to help put out the flames, she pulled a kunai out on me, and was ready to go for the jugular if need be… Want to explain why a twelve year old that should be chasing cats was ready to take my head off?"

"Did you touch her?" Kakashi asked, voice oddly expectant.

"Of course I did," Genma hotly replied, "like I said, she was on fire!" His eyes then widened, "you don't think-"

"I have my suspicions…"

"She's so young," Genma whispered, a frowned settled on his face as he looked to the hallway Sakura had disappeared down.

"All we have done is training exercises. I was holding out on missions until they improved their teamwork, but she blackmailed me into accepting a mission," Kakashi slowly recounted.

Genma arched a brow; "The tiny pink haired genin _blackmailed you_ into accepting a mission…"

Kakashi scowled, "Despite her appearance, or perhaps because of it, Sakura is uncharacteristically excellent when it comes to manipulation. I pity the day when Sasuke and Naruto realize just _how_ good she is at it."

"That may explain why she looked like she would rather be buried alive than visit here when I suggested it," Genma said, before chuckling, "…blackmailing the great Copy-Cat nin…"

"She was afraid to come here?"

"I don't know if 'afraid' is the right word, but she was definitely hesitant. I felt like I was trying to reason with a skittish animal. It looked like she was about to bolt at any moment."

"Thanks for bringing her here, but I think it's best that Sakura and I have a little privacy for the talk we are about to have," Kakashi said, foreboding heavy in his gut as he thought about the questions he was going to have to confront his littlest student with.

"Do you think that's a good idea? I mean if you're right, I doubt she will be comfortable being alone with you…" Genma questioned.

"I don't think she will feel any less vulnerable being alone with two men than one." Kakashi drolly answered. "Besides, she at least knows me."

"Alright," Genma said, rising from the couch. "Tell her that I hope she feels better. And _good luck_."

Kakashi watched as Genma exited out the front door, before returning his attention to the bathroom door where his female student remained.

For the past two weeks of being a team he had taken note of her odd idiosyncrasies. And despite his hopeful wishing, the symptoms that she was presenting were all pointing in the direction he dreaded… She was such a contradiction though- shy and hesitant- she completely avoided touch, and most peer interaction. And yet she was sly, cunning, and had a knack for manipulation- all traits that went against her somewhat meek nature.

And yet her vivid green eyes never held an ounce of _true_ meekness. Just cold intelligence that had initially shocked him. She was supposed to be the mediocre one. The last surviving Uchiha (at least loyal one), and the Nine Tailed Fox container- those two were where he was supposed to direct his attention- Hokages' orders. And yet something about the little Haruno girl made him study her just as intently- for just like her two teammates, she was not normal.

But he was hoping that the reasons for her abnormality were just prodigy like intelligence, not anything that attributed to her upbringing…

"Kakashi-sensei?" a small hesitant voice called from behind his bathroom door.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"D-do you maybe have a shirt I could borrow?" Sakura asked. And Kakashi could tell by the catch in her voice that she was nervous. His heart plummeted.

"Of course."

Silently slipping into his bedroom, Kakashi went straight to his closet and grabbed the smallest shirt he could find. As he left the room, he closed the door, not wanting to make his student any more uncomfortable than she already was. It was strange how he was surrendering his privacy and comfort, and yet he knew he his student was feeling much more unnerved being in his home.

Knocking gently on the bathroom door, Kakashi waited patiently. The door opened a crack and he could scarcely see Sakura's small torso dwarfed by one of his towels- the cotton material covering every inch of her from waist to neck.

"Thank you," she muttered, before quickly grabbing the shirt and closing the door with a snap.

Kakashi leaned against the opposite wall as he waited for her to emerge. When the door finally opened, he instantly noticed the fear she was trying so hard to mask. It unsettled him to his core that one of his own students was afraid of him- even if it was not truly his fault.

"Did you have enough salve?" he asked, voice uncharacteristically gentle.

She nodded; pink hair swaying with the motion.

He wanted to ask if she was able to cover all of her burns, but knew that was a bad idea. He needed to be extra cautious with her right now. And any mention of her body was not a good idea…

He led her out to the living room and watched as she perched on the edge of his couch, looking as if she was ready to flee at any moment.

"Thank you for the salve sensei, but I should be going. It's late and my mother is probably wondering where I am," Sakura said, her eyes fixed on the door.

"Not your father?"

"What?" Sakura asked, her head snapping over to her silver haired sensei.

"Will your father not be worried about your whereabouts?"

Sakura met her sensei's eye with a casual sort of detachedness that spoke of her experience in dealing with prying people. "My father often stays late at his shop. I doubt he will be home yet to notice my absence."

Kakashi nodded, and let out a quiet hum.

And just as Sakura was ready to head straight for the door, politeness be damned, her sensei's words stopped her in her tracks.

"Sakura, if someone is hurting you, you know you can tell me."

Kakashi's eye was solemnly intense as they gazed at her. She wondered if the sharingan that was underneath his eye patch could see straight into her soul…

How else could Kakashi-sensei possible know? She had always been so careful! Only one slip up had occurred and that was with Sasuke- he shouldn't have even known about that!

Her teeth bit into her lip- it was a nervous tick that she usually fought so hard to suppress. But she couldn't help herself from tearing at the plump flesh as she was confronted with her deepest fear.

"I don't know what you mean sensei…" She uttered, voice barely above a whisper.

She would lie under torture if she had too. Because even though she _hated_ the Harunos- hated them with a fierce sort of passion that rarely sparked within her soul, she _loved_ her mother.

Sure Mebuki was not an outstanding parent- one would even say she was a neglectful. And even though Sakura had long about been taught that a person who remains the silent onlooker is just as bad as the abuser, she _knew_ her mother had her reasons. Reasons that would make her stay captive in a family that hated her just as much as her mongrel daughter- and so Sakura would protect her mother's secrets with her life. Because _her_ very life could depend on it.

"If someone in your home is violent- is _abusing_ you, I can help you," Kakashi continued on.

The Harunos had never exactly _hurt_ her- not physically at least, like Kakashi-sensei probably suspected. There was only that one time in the basement where her father had threatened her with his belt, but never followed through with it. And Sakura knew there were other sorts of hurts that her family grievously lavished upon her, but those sorts of injuries were easier to conceal. Especially when one had years of experience…

"No one at home is hurting me sensei," she explained, meeting his eye directly.

Kakashi tilted his head. His gut told him not to believe her- something more was clearly going on. He had always been taught to look underneath the underneath, but he wasn't exactly sure what to do when the exposed wound didn't want to be healed. And especially when any injuries she could have could be explained away by some of his own training regime… And yet something within her eyes, made him pause. Made him question her authenticity.

He cleared his throat beneath his mask, "Well if you ever feel uncomfortable at home and you need a place to stay, you can always come here."

And the way she stiffened at his offer, confirmed the fact in his mind that an older man _must_ have been abusive towards her.

"Thank you for your offer sensei, and for the salve," Sakura murmured, eager to flee the scene. She could practically smell the suspicion radiating off the man. If she stayed any longer, she didn't want to know what he would find.

She jumped to her feet and headed to the door.

"I meant what I said Sakura-chan. Team Seven is your family- if you need help, we are always here for you." Her hand gripped the doorknob, and Kakashi got one last word in, "Oh, and next time you attempt a new jutsu, run it by me first. I don't want to think of what could have happened to you if Genma wasn't there."

And Sakura could only thank Kami that her head was facing the door as Kakashi uttered the same nonsense about family before reminding her of her embarrassing screw up.

Uttering one last thank you, she slipped out his apartment and into the dimming evening.

She thought about Kakashi's offer on her walk home. She was grateful for it, but she knew she would never take him up on it. Because if she did, she would expose a vulnerability- and every good nin knew that vulnerabilities were to be exploited. She had been exploited enough by one family, she wouldn't put herself in a position to be by another 'family.'

And though her sensei's intentions may have been good, Sakura knew the old adage about the road to hell… She wasn't going to be a disastrous product of her sensei's awkward guilt-ridden compassion.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **I had a lot of fun with manipulative Sakura in the last chapter (I adore cunning characters!), and this chapter I wanted to address some of the more serious issues. Kakashi and Sakura's relationship will be very different here (but not romance).**

 **Normally I won't do other character's POV in this story. I might do a version of this with alternate POVs, but that will be in the much distant future. But I really wanted to go into Kakashi's thoughts concerning some of Sakura's behaviour.**

 **And as nice as it would be for her to confess, she has only known Kakashi for roughly two weeks. She is not going to spill years worth of secrets to an almost stranger!**

 **Anywho, please _review_ and let me know your thoughts! I love hearing your feedback and theories!**

 **-Nyx!**


	13. Glass Eyes

**Chapter 12: Glass Eyes**

" _A ship in harbor_

 _is safe_

 _but that is not_

 _what ships are for"_

 _-William Shedd_

Sakura grunted as sweat poured down her face. She could feel her arms muscles begin to wobble in a feeble protest of overuse. But she continued on, literally pushing through the pain.

Kakashi-sensei had upped their training regime. Currently her, Naruto, and Sasuke were on their third set of one hundred push-ups. In the brief moment she had managed to wrench her head up, Sakura had noticed that both Naruto and Sasuke were equally as drenched in sweat as she was. But Sasuke's almost mechanically quick push-ups, and Naruto's sloppy, yet energetic ones guaranteed that they would both finish before her.

She was _not_ going to fall behind.

Kakashi-sensei had already ( _infuriatingly so_ ) informed her in front of both her teammates that she could have a lighter workload. Because even though her burns had healed, leaving nothing but unblemished porcelain behind, her skin still felt tight and itchy. But that was more of an annoyance than a hindrance.

She had openly scowled something fierce at her sensei as Naruto had bombarded her with questions, and Sasuke had sent a curious glance her way. Delicately as she could, she explained the incident to her teammates, trying her best to recount the event in the least embarrassing way. But judging by the horrified look Naruto granted her, and the unimpressed stare Sasuke sent, she fell short.

And Sakura hated that feeling with even more passion than she hated one of Grandmother Satomi's insults. So she ignored her sensei's offer, and continued her physical training with gusto. She relished the way her muscled ached, stomach burned, and head pounded.

She was becoming better.

But as her eyes sought out Naruto- who even under physical duress still had the energy to throw some inane challenge at Sasuke, she felt bitterness. It was a disgusting sort of feeling, but a useful one. It fueled her arms to push harder- _faster_. To not fall behind the two absolute powerhouses her teammates were.

She could see it in the way they trained. In Naruto's boundless energy, and Sasuke's natural fluidity- they were born for this. To be _powerful_ shinobi. They were naturally gifted in areas that Sakura had worked her whole life to become proficient at. But luckily for her, she had never minded hard work. She would push herself to the very last reserves of her energy if it meant she would be standing beside, not _behind_ them. And even if her body could never fully compare to Kami given ones Naruto and Sasuke possessed, she had her mind. And Sakura knew that her mind was the sharpest tool she had.

"Alright my cute students, lets take a break for lunch," Kakashi called, eye barely lifting from the indecent images in his book.

Sakura slumped to the ground, black spots dancing in her vision. She hadn't even noticed that the three of them had long passed their set of one hundred.

And as she looked up, she was half tempted to call Kakashi-sensei out on his facade of reading. She knew he was studying them just as intently as they were working. But revealing this sort of information was not pertinent at the moment. She would have to save the little scrap until the opportune moment presented itself.

She got to her feet and ignored the way that Naruto was crowing about his apparent victory over Sasuke. But the way his blue eyes kept darting over towards her, she knew he had meant to garner her attention.

"Naruto if you are so far ahead of your teammate, than you should be looking for ways to help Sasuke, not rubbing your success in his face," Kakashi drawled.

The three of them stared at him for a moment, abandoning the unpacking of their lunches. Sakura looked over to see a light flush heating Sasuke's cheeks. But she, like Kakashi, like Sasuke, and probably like Naruto knew that out of the three of them, Sasuke was the most skilled.

Naruto looked as though he didn't know what to say for a moment. But then his whiskered cheeks curled up with his sly grin. "Yeah teme, I should help you since you're so far behind me."

"You only wish you were half as talented as me _dobe_ ," Sasuke spat back

Sakura didn't hold back her eye roll at the bickering session that started. She didn't know why Kakashi bothered lecturing them on how they should be working with each other and not competing against each other. Every training exercise he made held an element of competition…

"And how are you today Sakura-chan?" Kakashi asked, his voice almost lost under Naruto's outraged yell at whatever Sasuke had just said to him.

Sakura chewed on her ongiri before meeting his eye. She had been more than aware that Kakashi had been watching her intently since the trip to his house three days ago.

"I'm fine sensei, how are you?" she inquired, her tone reflecting nothing but stiff politeness.

Kakashi's dark eye bore into her and she met it with a challenging stare. He would get nothing from her- no emotions would betray her in her cool green eyes. No weakness, or stuttering nerves like before.

"Good, good," he murmured not taking his eye off of her. "You'll be happy to hear that we have another mission this afternoon."

Naruto and Sasuke abruptly stopped bickering at the scant mention of 'mission.'

"A real mission sensei or is more chores?" Naruto half questioned, half complained.

Half of Kakashi's masked lifted up, mimicking the smirk that lied beneath. "Ito Yori is a wealthy spice merchant. He is away on business, and you will be tending to his gardens in his absence."

All three of them groaned in unison.

"When are we going to start getting real missions?" Sasuke asked, biting into his rice ball almost viciously. It was a swift departure from his normal impeccable manners.

"This is a real mission. And need I remind you three that you are only genin? You are not permitted to accept any missions that are beyond a 'C' rank." Kakashi-sensei not so patiently explained. It was a speech he found himself giving daily to his three little whiners.

"I do not understand how _gardening_ is going to help us become better shinobi," Sakura said, barely bothering to hide the scorn in her voice. "Shouldn't we be learning how to strategize attacks, escape ambushes, or learn stealth jutsus… you know, _something_ that is actually useful?"

Kakashi-sensei's stare bored into her, and she flushed slightly, waiting for some sort of reprimand about teamwork, when Sasuke of all people came to her rescue.

"Sakura's right. How is this useful?"

Kakashi-sensei sighed, " _Why_ the Hokage had to stick me with the three most ungrateful brats in the village, I'll never know…" he muttered below his breath, yet loud enough that they could all hear him clearly.

"Kaka-sensei, shouldn't we be taking down bandits by now?" Naruto piped in.

Sakura suppressed a sigh. Naruto did not seem to understand that if they hadn't even been taught how to execute basic battle strategies, or proper sleuthing procedures first, than taking down bandits was not anywhere in their near future.

"All you three did was _whine_ , _whine_ , _whine_ about not getting any missions, and now you are complaining about the ones you _do_ get," Kakashi-sensei stated with a huff. "I want you all to remember what I told you at the memorial stone. Being a shinobi is difficult. You we see and do some terrible things in the future. I have to prepare you physically, emotionally, and mentally for those things."

Sasuke was openly scowling at this point, and if Sakura had been in any less control of her emotions she would have joined him. But not under Kakashi's watchful scrutiny. Naruto, on the other hand looked a little unsure, but kept a brave face.

"And though I know you may have already experienced terrible hardships," Kakashi said, carefully meeting Sasuke's furious eyes, "you are still twelve years old. You should cherish these years, and not be too eager to confront the hell this job can put you through."

Sakura felt her jaw drop. She was aware enough that the missions most genin went on were coddled ones. But she didn't think Kakashi-sensei would actually admit it.

A hot fury rose within her as she thought about the utter waste these 'missions' were! She had long ago shed the last dregs of her innocence, and she was sure that Sasuke, and for the most part Naruto had done the same. So these flimsy excuses for missions were more a hindrance to their improvement than anything.

What use would the knowledge of how to properly weed a garden or chase down a cat be if the village was being attacked? What use would picking up litter or delivering mail be when a very real and very dangerous enemy was breathing down your neck?

"So we are stuck doing useless missions until the village deems us 'ready?'" Sasuke confirmed, looking even more grumpy than usual.

"Yes," Kakashi-sensei simply answered, uncaring of the fierce scowls adorning all three of his student's faces.

The rest of lunch was spent in a tense silence after Kakashi-sensei's speech. And though it seemed like the young members of Team Seven were finally on the same page with their feelings, each one of them were to busy mulling over their personal tragedies or trepaditions to gang up on their sensei even more.

After lunch finished, they packed their bags and Kakashi led them through the village. And though Konoha was not by any means a large village, the journey took quite some time. It didn't help that every so often someone would stop Kakashi to ask the great nin a question, or Naruto would be jeered or hissed at by a passing civilian.

"Where exactly does this 'Ito Yori' live?" Naruto grumbled as his eyes intently watched a mother hurry her two young children away from him.

"We aren't far now," Kakashi airily said.

He had said the same thing twenty minutes ago, so none of the members of Team Seven were inclined to believe him.

"We are almost at the outskirts of the village," Naruto said, relief tempering his normally enthusiastic voice.

Sakura figured that he was actually grateful for once to be out of the spotlight. She knew that the boy normally longed for attention. But the kind of attention he always aroused from civilians and some nin alike was never good. She had a sinking suspicion that Naruto was embarrassed at being shunned in front of them… almost like he expected them to join in.

"Many wealthy civilian clans live on the outskirts of the village, right Sakura-chan?" Kakashi stated.

Sakura hummed her affirmation.

Her family was considered wealthy. But the Haruno residence sat on the outskirts on the opposite side of the village. She was sure that her father probably knew some of the people who lived here, but she herself had never met them.

"I didn't know your family was rich Sakura-chan," Naruto said, eagerly grasping onto the threads of the conversation. "But I suppose it makes sense- you always wore such fancy kimonos at the spring festival. Last year it was a purple one, and the year before that, a pretty jade one…"

Sakura slowly turned to face Naruto, eyes wide.

She wasn't the only one.

Naruto's whiskered cheeks flushed as Sasuke stared at him, eyebrow raised, and Kakashi's muffled chuckle rang out.

"Well, I, I mean- it was hard to miss a girl with pink hair," Naruto mumbled.

Sakura smiled politely, not wanting to delve into a conversation about her family, but knowing it would look more suspicious if she didn't offer a simple explanation.

"My father is a silk merchant. He and the rest of the clan own several shops throughout fire country."

"Oh, that explains the kimonos then," Naruto said, his cheeks still stained with residual pink.

The rest of the walk was made in near silence. Silence seemed to be a natural state for every member of Team Seven minus Naruto. And after his slight embarrassments during the journey, his spirit was quite subdued.

"Here we are," Kakashi finally announced, as they approached a plot of land secluded by tall trees. The brush was so thick that it blended right into the neighboring forest.

The lot was covered with wild grass, and lush flowers. And standing at the very and of the pathway was a very large, very traditional house. It looked grand and imposing- the embodiment of what every wealthy clan wanted their property to look like.

Sakura's eyes studied the tall flowers with undisguised appreciation. The entire property was a bizarrely perfect combination of serene wildness. If she were the owner then she wouldn't bother with genin gardeners, and let the wilderness freely encroach.

"Yori-san's family is not home?" Sasuke questioned, his eyes fixed on the darkened windows of the house.

"Yori-san is an elderly bachelor. He lives alone," Kakashi-sensei explained.

"And he wants us to weed the gardens?" Naruto questioned, his voice filled with doubt as he stared at the ivy vines that had crept across the curved rooftops.

Kakashi-sensei smirked, "I thought this place would keep you three busy for a while. I'll check back in at five o'clock."

Sakura whirled around and watched as her sensei disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Her lips tugged into a frown as she considered what Kakashi-sensei's version of 'five o'clock' was.

She turned back around and gazed at the wild greenery with newly found dispassion in her eyes.

"Shall we split up?" she offered.

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto eagerly agreed.

"Lets try and get the front yard finished first. That way we can keep an eye on the dobe and make sure he isn't digging up the wrong plants, _again_ ," Sasuke stated.

" _Hey_!" Naruto growled, "its not like I meant to! And don't act like it's a mistake that you wouldn't have made!"

"It _is_ a mistake that _I_ didn'tmake," Sasuke scoffed as he slowly walked over to the east side of the property.

Naruto stomped off in the other direction, ranting under his breath about what a terrible teme Sasuke was.

Sakura sighed deeply before setting her eyes on the thriving plants situated at the front of the house.

A plethora of colors stared back. Everything from bulbous yellow petals to senbon small lavender blossoms greeted her. And amongst the jungle of blooms were horrid, horrid weeds.

Sighing, Sakura sat on her haunches, bare knees pressing into the soil. The tedious process began…

Hours went by in relative quietness. Once in a while Naruto would break the mundane quiet by shouting some childish competition to Sasuke- one that Sasuke would always participate in. And the only reason Sakura had kept her mouth shut concerning her two idiotic teammates was because their latest competition was about who would weed a flower bed the fastest.

By the time she had finished her portion of flowerbeds Sakura was feeling wholly uncomfortable. Despite the shade the thick trees provided, her neck burned from sun exposure, and she could taste sweat on her lip. Even the soil that she had fully immersed herself in was beginning to feel dry and crumbly.

"I think we should head to the back yard now," she called to the others.

"Good idea!" Naruto exclaimed.

And as they walked around the side of the massive house, Sakura's eyes tipped up to the sky. The overbearing sun was beginning to creep below the branches, its descent signifying the arrival of night. By her estimation it was well past five o'clock.

"Same areas?" Sasuke asked once they had made it to the equally large back yard.

"Awe man, this is going to take us _forever_ ," Naruto huffed.

Sakura grimaced. It wouldn't take them forever, but it appeared as if it would take them all night. Even with Sasuke and Naruto's peacocking.

Focusing on the flowers stationed at the back porch Sakura slowly trudged over, weariness making her limbs feel heavy. The combination of sun exposure and being hunched on hard ground all day was causing a fatigue in her body that was so very different than her usual exhaustion.

Huddling herself next to the closed morning glories, Sakura began pulling the newest batch of weeds, ignoring the sting in her hands. But as she rotated around the garden, her palms began to ache more and more as the harsh stalks chaffed against them.

Throwing a weed down harshly to her pile, Sakura checked over her shoulder to make sure neither of her teammates was watching. She didn't want Naruto to steal her idea and end up in the hospital with a finger cut off.

As she looked, both Sasuke and Naruto were on the opposite ends of the garden, the shadows from the trees creeping upon Sakura shivered, not at all liking that in the darkness, the flora seemed less pretty and more dangerous. She couldn't shake the feeling that just like her, someone was crouched upon the foliage watching her team.

Sakura huffed at her own ridiculousness. Withdrawing her kunai from her weapons pouch, Sakura ignored a little voice in her head that sounded an awful lot like Iruka-sensei chiding her that weapons were not to be used errantly.

But as she quietly used the blade to dig and then sever the weeds, palms not stinging, she couldn't help but smile. Being a nin was all about resourcefulness anyways…

And soon she was onto the next heap of flowers. Her movements becoming more efficient with each chop. The pile of weeds grew bigger as the night sky fully descended upon them.

"Ugh this is pointless. How are we going to be able to see if we are digging up weeds or flowers?" Naruto whined.

"Pay closer attention dobe," Sasuke said, but judging by how close to the ground he was, he too was having difficulty.

Sakura didn't fret. She could feel the end of their menial job was near…

Shoving her kunai into the next patch, the metal made an odd squelching noise. The dirt felt curiously supple as she wiggled her kunai around. Frowning, Sakura dug around the dirt with her other hand until she met resistance once again. Dusting the dirt off whatever object was hindering her progress, Sakura's breath caught in her throat.

Jumping backwards, Sakura caught the scream before it left her throat. She gripped her weapon, heart hammering in her ribs.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, voice startling her.

He was standing much closer than she expected.

"You two better not be telling secrets without me," Naruto said, bounding over.

But Sasuke's eyes remained rooted on Sakura's frantic face. He watched as her green eyes darted about the encasing forest.

"What is it?"

Sakura's eyes caught Sasuke's and she lowered her voice so both he and Naruto could hear. "There is a dead body in the flower bed."

"A _what_!" Naruto shouted.

Both Sasuke and Sakura glared.

"Keep your voice down," Sakura hushed. "I was using my kunai to dig out weeds, and it got caught in-" Sakura covered her mouth "Oh Kami, I-"

Sasuke brushed past her and over to the garden. And for once, Sakura didn't flinch as Naruto gripped her free hand in his own. But her eyes were too busy taking in the liquid that was slowly dripping off the end of her kunai in thick congealed lumps. _Blood_ \- it was blood, _his_ blood.

She almost wanted to hurl her weapon to the ground, but common sense thankfully cautioned her that she might need it.

"Do you know who it is?" Naruto softly called to Sasuke.

Sasuke stood up and faced them, "I'm not sure, but I think it might be Ito Yori."

"What are you three doing just standing around?" a voice suddenly called from behind them.

Naruto yelped, Sakura stumbled, and even Sasuke startled at the newcomer.

"Sensei," Sakura said, rushing towards him, "there is a _body_ in the flowerbed."

Kakashi's lazy posture straightened the instant Sakura rushed forward. His dark eye widened as he took in his student's words, coupled with their three panicked faces.

"Stay put," Kakashi ordered, as he brushed past Sasuke to peer into the garden.

Sakura returned to Naruto's side and Sasuke joined them. They watched as Kakashi crouched over, examining the glassy eyes of one Ito Yori.

A whistle of airborne weapon broke the tense silence of the night and Kakashi instantly jumped out of its path. A shuriken embedded itself into the ground where he had been standing.

Each member of Team Seven's eyes widened as they looked up towards the treetops where the weapon came from. A tall woman wrapped in dark clothes was standing on a thick branch, twirling a kunai in her hand.

"Like the present I left for you, Sharingan-Kakashi?"

 **A/N: Hi everyone I hope you like this chapter!**

 **I got a lot of interesting responses from the last chapter. And as much as I want to explain my decisions to all of you, I would rather let you see how my characters form with the story :)**

 **I am looking for a beta if anyone is interested :)**

 **As always, please Read and Review :)**

 **-Nyx**


	14. Paradise Lost

**Chapter 13: Paradise Lost**

" _I hold a beast,_

 _an angel_

 _and a madman in me"_

 _-Dylan Thomas_

"Well, well, if it isn't Iwa's most famous missing nin. I didn't think you liked me enough to send me presents, Black Spider," Kakashi said, straightening out of his crouch.

Sakura's nerves burned through her adrenalin filled body as she watched the woman swing herself over to the next tree branch with feline like grace.

"Well normally I wouldn't, but an old _mutual_ friend cashed in a favor..."

"I didn't think we had any mutual friends," Kakashi said, hands quickly forming signs.

She watched in awe as a hurricane of seemingly harmless leaves gusted towards the woman, the dainty green petals burning everything in their path.

'Black Spider' skirted away again, her laughter ringing around the secluded lot. It was beautiful, feminine, and absolutely _sinister_.

Sakura gripped her kunai tighter and out of the corner of her eye, noticed Sasuke discreetly slipping a hand into his weapon pouch.

"Why would you kill Yori-san, crazy lady?" Naruto shouted.

Her gut clenched in worry and she had to fight the impulse to cover Naruto's mouth. It was one thing for Naruto to bait Sasuke, but to harass this deadly woman who was clearly an enemy to Konoha was an entirely different situation.

Sakura's eyes flittered over to her sensei and watched as he scanned the forest. His lone eye narrowed as he carefully considered the woman. And as she took in Kakashi-sensei's almost _confused_ demeanor, she too noticed something was off about the situation.

The woman was being too passive- yes she had tried to wound Kakashi-sensei, but that was all. Was she really here to kill their sensei… or was she just buying time for something else? Was an ambush on its way?

Her gaze shifted back to the woman and watched as her painted lips tipped up in a smirk.

The hair on the back of Sakura's neck stood straight as the whistle of a weapon pierced the air. Her hands shot out and grabbed both Sasuke and Naruto's shirt collars, pulling them to the ground. A barrage of shruiken pierced the air above their heads with deadly intent.

Sakura quickly jumped to her feet again and looked behind her to notice another version of Black Spider was lazily leaning against a tree trunk, her hand absently spinning another shrunken. A _clone_.

"Be careful you _three, she's a genjutsu expert_ ," Kakashi-sensei cautioned, but his voice sounded strangely slow.

Sakura blinked, but her movements felt oddly languorous, like she was fighting off a deep slumber that she wasn't sure she wanted to wake up from. Her body tipped over and slumped to the ground.

Her lazy gaze took in the night sky with its glittering stars- it was beautiful. The fragrance wafting off the forest of flowers dizzied her head in the best kind of way. The grass beneath her hand felt luxuriously soft, and Sakura felt her grip on her kunai loosen. The metal was cold and harsh and bit into her blisters. Besides, it wasn't like she _needed_ it.

There was shouting, but it sounded strangely distant, and Sakura didn't want to listen to it. The lure of this newfound paradise was too strong, and she couldn't find it within herself to care about who was shouting.

She rolled over onto her back and turned her head to the side. Sasuke was lying beside her, with his face tilted towards her. And he was _beautiful_. Granted, Sakura had always known (in a purely platonic way) that her teammate was attractive, but she had never fully studied Sasuke's features until now.

Long dark lashes that would be the envy of half of the girls in their class at the Academy fanned over midnight eyes. His cheekbones were sharp and once they lost their child like roundness, they would be even more stunning. Thin lips were pulled in a half smirk, as he gazed back at her.

He was beautiful, this night was beautiful, the heady aroma of the garden was beautiful. Everything was absolutely _perfect_.

…But why were they here again? Something bad had happened? An image of blank eyes flashed through her mind, and Sakura shook her head. She didn't want to think about that.

Naruto's blissful laughter rang out into the night, sounding full and melodious. It was perfect, perfect, _perfect, perfect,_ not _perfect_ …

Another shout, followed by a pained groan overpowered Naruto's laughter. And Sakura found her carefree smile slip a little. Another image of thick congealing blood sliding down her kunai flashed across her mind, and Sakura shook her head more vigorously.

But she couldn't quite return to her previous euphoria.

Everything was slightly tainted with a sinister darkness now. The midnight sky wasn't quite as welcoming, the stars were slightly dimmer, the night air chilled, the grass stiff, and the clanging of weapons louder…

"Team Seven _get up_! Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura!"

 _Sakura, Sakura, Sakura..._

A queasy feeling twisted in her stomach- something wasn't quite right… the paradise was tinted with maliciousness now. And the woman- the terrible nin woman was charging at Kakashi-sensei…

No, no, the woman was good- she was _so_ good. She created this utopia. Sakura wanted to stay in the utopia forever.

But the woman killed the man in the garden though- the man with the glass eyes. She threw shruiken at them. She was an _enemy_.

Sakura wrenched herself up from off the ground, breathing hard.

Kakashi was busy fighting off multiple clones of the woman, whilst trying to keep them safe.

Sakura looked over to see Sasuke's normally blank face being pulled into a multitude of expressions- peaceful, to worried, to angry, to bliss.

Naruto who was lying on the other side of him had the biggest grin Sakura had ever seen stretched across his cheeks.

None of Black Spider's clones had noticed her yet. And Sakura really couldn't blame the woman as several tree roots begun lashing out at her. But still, Sakura made sure to be discrete as she shook Sasuke's arm. His face pulled into another scowl.

"Sasuke," Sakura urgently whispered, "wake up!"

He wasn't exactly dreaming, but the genjutsu that the woman had obviously inflicted them with felt more potent than even the best dream.

The air whooshed as a kunai narrowly missed her cheek and Sakura ducked down- one of the clones had finally noticed her alertness.

Quickly rolling to her feet, Sakura grabbed her kunai, and moved away from her teammates. She didn't want them to get caught in the fray and wind up with a weapon stuck in their unresponsive chests.

"You must be a clever little thing to wake up once you were caught in the web," the clone crooned at her. "But if you were truly smart, you would have stayed down."

The woman lunged as the last word fell off her tongue. Sakura bowed her back as her kunai passed far too close to her throat. She kicked out with her leg, hoping to trip the woman, but she was too fast, dancing away.

Sakura inhaled shakily. This was nothing like training with the boys. This was real- this woman could _kill_ her if she wasn't careful. If she wasn't _ruthless_.

Grasping the handle of the whip that was every-present at her waist, she loosened her preferred weapon and let it uncoil on the ground.

Black Spider's clone laughed in chilling delight as she spotted the weapon. "How _cute_."

But instead of lashing her whip out at the clone, Sakura flicked it out to a nearby tree branch and launched herself up. The moment her feet touched bark, she hastily masked her chakra. It was thankfully dark enough, especially with the foliage that her hair wouldn't be what gave her presence away.

Jumping from branch to branch, Sakura weaved her way deeper into the forest, praying that Black Spider would follow. A voice in the back of her mind also cautioned her that if she went too far, no sensei would be there to save her if things went badly.

Finally stopping in a large oak tree, Sakura crouched in silence, whip and kunai at the ready. Green eyes squinted through the darkness waiting for her prey. Much like a spider would wait for a fly. Her jittery nerves tempted her to snort at the irony, but she managed to hold herself together.

And it was worth it as she saw a black clad figure silently sleuthing through the night, more like a sleek jaguar than the arachnid she named herself after.

Holding her breath, Sakura steadied her hand and let her kunai fly towards the woman's jugular. And just before her weapon hit it's mark, Black Spider dipped out of the way.

Another chuckle left the woman's mouth, but this time it sounded less sensual, and more guttural.

"You have nice aim _little girl_."

Sakura quickly dropped down to a lower branch as two shruiken impaled themselves in the trunk above. They came at such speed that Sakura had almost missed seeing her throw them.

Grabbing a senbon from her weapon's pouch, she quickly jumped to another tree, throwing the needles at she leapt. And judging from the popping sound, this time they hit their mark.

But the moment her foot hit the tree branch, another Black Spider clone's hand was on her throat, slamming her back against the trunk. Sakura felt the air stutter out of her lungs.

"Such poor manners," the woman clucked, her talon like nails digging into the smooth flesh of her throat.

Sakura's feet kicked out, but the hand against her throat only tightened its grip. Her hands reached up in panic, trying to pry the clone's hand off of her, but they remained steady.

"Now I have a few questions for you about your teammate. Tell me, _little girl_ , has Uchiha Sasuke developed his sharingan yet?"

Sakura's brain whirled as she considered the implications of this woman's questions and the consequences if she didn't answer it. But the consequences didn't really matter. Because as much of a pain in the ass Sasuke was, he was her teammate.

"I'm not telling you anything!" she spat into the woman's painted face.

Black Spider's grip tightened and Sakura's view of the woman's hazel eyes dimmed as black spots danced in her vision.

"I suppose we'll have to do this the other way then," the clone said, quickly retracting her hands and forming signs.

Instead of gulping in much needed breaths, Sakura lashed out with her fists, attempting to strike her. But before she could hit her target, Sakura felt a dizzying wave descend upon her. The world tilted upon its side, spinning in nauseous way before settling.

Her mother was standing before her, her white blonde hair shining in the dark and a full smile stretched across her radiant face.

Her smile was the biggest clue that something wasn't right…this wasn't right. That smile didn't belong there. That smile was foreign and unseen. That smile was the smile of an imposter.

"How was training flower?" Not-Mebuki inquired. Curiosity alight in normally dead eyes.

But the lure was too strong. The impulse that was boarding on need was pushing her to answer.

"Training was fine."

The smile on her not mother's face widened, and Sakura felt a warmth settle in her chest at the sight of it.

"And how are your teammates?"

"Naruto is relentless, and Sasuke is determined," Sakura answered, lulled by the false sincerity.

"Has Sasuke unlocked his sharingan yet?" Mebuki questioned, voice carefully light.

Sakura's eyes snapped up to her mother, but the image blurred for a moment. Mebuki smiled again, but the shark-like quality lost its nurturing effect.

"I'm not going to answer that," Sakura slowly replied.

"Tell me about his sharingan!" Mebuki insisted, closing the distance between them.

And something within Sakura snapped. The chakra in her throat flared hotly, " _No! Get out of my head_!"

Sakura blinked and Black Spider was once again standing in front of her, a stunned look gracing her lovely features. Taking advantage of the woman's distraction, Sakura lashed out with her kunai, disbanding the clone.

And once the cloud of smoke disappeared, Sakura leaned back against the tree trunk, breathing heavily. Chakra was throbbing hotly in her throat matching the rapid pace of her pulse. Questions were exploding like fireworks in her mind, but she didn't have time to dwell on them. She needed to get back to her team.

Darting through the forest, propelled largely by her whip, as her chakra was still acting wild, Sakura broke through the trees to find both Sasuke and Naruto on their feet, taking down another Black Spider clone.

Kakashi-sensei was nowhere to be found, but four nin dogs seemed to be herding the only other clone present. Sakura halted and watched as the lethally large jaws of one of the dogs closed over the clone's throat. She almost wanted to flinch at the horrifying scene, but thankfully the clone smoked out of existence instead of splattering like a real human body would.

She uneasily slid past the dogs and refocused on her teammates. Naruto's clones kept caging the woman in, while Sasuke used nin wires to trap her in what looked ironically like a web. Just as she reached the two, Sasuke sunk a kunai into the clone's chest, disbanding it.

One of the Naruto clones spotted her and yelled, "Sakura-chan!"

Sakura barely managed to open her mouth before orange clad clones surrounded her. A hysterical laugh almost escaped her lips as she watched Sasuke elbow many of them out of existence to make his way over.

"Are you okay Sakura-chan? Where did you go? Did she kidnap you? Are there more clones where you came from?" Naruto frantically questioned.

"Quit harassing her dobe."

Sasuke's dark eyes did a quick scan of her body and Sakura thought of the way Black Spider questioned her about the sharingan.

"Are you hurt?" Sasuke finally asked, visual scan complete.

Sakura shook her head. "When I woke up she threw a kunai at me. I tried to wake you up," Sakura explained, meeting Sasuke's eye, "but you wouldn't. So I lead some clones into the forest hoping neither of you would get hit in the fray."

"Wow," Naruto breathed out, "that was so brave of you Sakura-chan!"

Sakura shrugged. She didn't feel particularly brave- more like terrified. But she did what she had to do.

"I'm not hurt, and I managed to get rid of the clones. Where is Kakashi-sensei?"

"The real Spider lady took off, so Kakashi chased her. He left his nin dogs behind to help us. Can you believe it, Kaka-sensei has nin dogs!" Naruto explained, his eyes darting over to the four in question.

"Now that we're together, we should go alert the Hokage that an enemy infiltrated Konoha boarders," Sasuke stated.

Sakura and Naruto agreed and the three took off towards Hokage Tower, the nin dogs trailing behind.

As they ran, Naruto explained how Sasuke woke up first and managed to wake Naruto out of the genjutsu with a swift thump on the head.

"And then the teme and I kicked some clone ass! Believe it!"

Sakura smiled in his direction, but her stride fell short as she spotted Kakashi just outside the Hokage Tower.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura called, and his masked face snapped up towards the three of them.

He was in front of them and inspecting them before any of them could blink.

"Are you three ok?" Kakashi-sensei asked, his lone eye meticulous in its perusal.

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine. We were seriously awesome," Naruto bragged. "But Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here, where is the Spider lady?"

Kakashi's masked pulled up in the surefire sign of a smirk. "I'm just a clone Naruto. I needed to alert the other nins about her. The real Kakashi went after her."

"He is already on his way back," the small pug said, trotting up to them. "She escaped once backup arrived."

"What do you want us to do now?" Sasuke questioned.

"You're sure you don't have any injuries? Even the smallest little cut could be deadly. Some of those shrunken she used were poisoned."

Everyone shook their heads no.

Cloned Kakashi let out a deep sigh, as if he knew that his original was going to deeply regret whatever came out of his mouth. "Wait for me at my place. Sakura can show you the way."

Sasuke's eyes widened and Naruto let out a cheer, but Sakura felt something uneasy coil within her. She didn't _want_ to go back there.

But Naruto and Sasuke were looking at her expectantly and Sakura found her feet trailing a somewhat familiar path to Kakashi-sensei's apartment. Her gait was sluggish and it felt as though the exhaustion of a _very_ long day coupled with chakra drainage was starting to slow her down. Neither of her teammates seemed to mind though.

When they reached Kakashi-sensei's door, the little pug from before unlocked the door for them. Sakura went straight to the couch that Genma-san had thrown himself on and slumped down on it. It was hardly lady like- but neither was the grass and dirt stains or the body odor she probably was giving off either.

"Kakashi-sensei is a clean freak," Naruto declared after nosing around a bit.

Sakura wanted to protest at his snooping, but decided not too. He did invite them there without supervision after all.

"Just because he isn't a slob like you doesn't make him a freak _dobe_ ," Sasuke countered.

"I am not a _slob_!"

"But you _are_ a dobe!"

"You three better not be fighting in my house," a weary voice declared, from the doorframe.

Naruto yelped in surprise. "You have got to stop doing that," he grumbled.

Kakashi's clothing was torn and dirty, and his hair looked even wilder, but what stood out most of all was that his other eye was uncovered.

An eye so entirely different from its pair gazed at them. It was bright red, with black swirling patterns. Sakura knew about this kind of eye- read about it, heard whispers about it, but she had never seen it.

The _sharingan_.

She looked over to see Sasuke's jaw clenched tightly; eyes boring into Kakashi's newly exposed one.

"Kaka-sensei, the Spider lady did something freaky to your eye!" Naruto cried out.

Kakashi sighed before meeting Sasuke's devastated and accusing gaze.

"She didn't do anything to my eye Naruto. It is a dojutsu, called-"

"-the sharingan," Sasuke finished for him. "But that's impossible. You couldn't have that unless- I'm mean, you're not- are you?"

And Sakura felt both terribly uncomfortable and terribly sad for being here and witnessing her teammate's stoic mask crack. He sounded so desperate. Yet she knew he would be disappointed by their sensei's answers.

"What is 'the sharingan'?" Naruto questioned, his head whipping back and forth between Kakashi and Sasuke. The tension was so thick that even he couldn't miss it.

"The sharingan is a blood limit belonging to the Uchiha family," Kakashi explained. "It gives the wielder extreme perception and allows the user to copy almost any jutsu, amongst other things..."

Naruto's face became solemn as he took in the implications what exactly Kakashi was saying.

"Then why do you have it?" Sakura finally asked.

It was something that she had wondered since she had read about it in the bingo book. She knew his family history, and there was no way he was born with the gene.

Kakashi sighed and scrubbed a hand over his masked face. He looked directly at Sasuke as he began, "My teammate was a Uchiha- Uchiha Obito. There was a mission where I lost my eye, and my teammate, my _best_ friend was dying. And before he- before he died, he gave me his eye."

Sasuke slowly nodded.

"But the sharingan was not meant for people outside of your clan. I can never turn it off and it drains a good portion of my chakra. So I keep it covered," Kakashi explained, once again moving his forehead protector over it.

"So Sasuke-teme is going to have eyes like yours?" Naruto questioned.

Kakashi slowly nodded, "Its more than likely. When you develop your sharingan, I will be there to help you."

Sasuke's eyes were a swirl of emotion and Sakura could only guess at how he was feeling.

"But for now it's late. You three should go home and get some rest. You can have the day off tomorrow. I think you've done more than enough to deserve it."

Naruto jumped out of his chair and headed towards the door, his energy boundless. His round of goodnights probably woke the neighbors. Sasuke was much slower to his feet. He mumbled his goodnight and disappeared with haunted eyes. Sakura remained rooted in her seat.

"As much as I don't mind you staying Sakura-chan, won't your parents be worried? It is nearly two am. Unless- unless you have something you want to tell me?" Kakashi slowly said, his voice tired, but eye alert.

A frowned tugged at Sakura's lips- of course he would want to bring _that_ up again.

"Actually sensei there is something I want to tell you."

Kakashi leaned forward in his chair, his hands moving forward as if to comfort her, before they fell to his lap once again.

"When I lured one of Black Spider's clones into the forest, she trapped me in a genjutsu. And then she started questioning me about whether or not Sasuke had developed his sharingan."

Kakashi leaned back in surprise, but his voice was urgent as he questioned her, "What did you tell her?"

"I didn't tell her anything."

His voice lowered into something that Sakura thought was supposed to resemble soothing. "Its ok if you did Sakura-chan, you were under a genjustu."

Her affronted frown definitely made an appearance on her face, "I'm not lying sensei- I didn't tell her anything."

"Sakura, the woman known as 'Black Spider' is one of the world's best genjutsu masters. She weaves her illusions so well that most people either don't know they're in them, or don't _want_ to get out of them. And you are a very bright girl, but I find it a little hard to believe you could escape one on your own." He sat up a little straighter, "Was someone else out there with you?"

"No, no one was out there but me and her. She crafted the illusion into my mother, but she got the image all wrong and I knew it. So I told her to get out of my head and she did!"

"You _told_ her to get out of your head, and she just did?" Kakashi asked, and Sakura was angry at the disbelief that still trickled into his words.

"The point I'm trying to make, sensei, is that she was obviously there today to gather information about Sasuke."

"Why would she wait until I had arrived to attack you then?" Kakashi questioned, almost to himself.

Sakura shrugged, "I don't know. We didn't discover Yori-san's body until right before you arrived. But maybe she _wanted_ you to know she was after Sasuke. She did say you had a mutual friend after all."

Kakashi frowned. "Thank you for telling me."

Sakura took that as her queue to leave and slowly stood. Her weary feet trailed over to the door, but before she could slip out of it, Kakashi stopped her.

"You're positive that you just _told_ her to stop her illusion and she did? She is not known for having mercy- even with children."

Sakura fought the urge to thump her head against the doorframe. She thought back to the incident instead.

"My chakra flared and I told her to 'get out of my head' and she did. She was pretty surprised that I managed to actually escape the illusion though. I used her surprise to destroy her clone," Sakura said and quickly slipped out the door.

If she had stayed she would have noticed her sensei's eye comically widen, and the portion of his exposed face go white.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Writing action scenes is always a little tricky for me. Whatever I'm picturing in my head never transfers quite as well to paper. But I actually think I did all right this time. Please let me know what you think!**

 **Also I am in the process of moving house! So if my next few updates are a little erratic that's why! I apologize in advance!**

 **Please review!**


	15. Paranoia

**Chapter 14: Paranoia**

" _Quiet people_

 _have the loudest_

 _minds."_

 _-Stephen King_

Sakura sighed as she turned another page. Her eyes were stinging and her vision was starting to blur, but still she carried on. Another page, another name, another face that she _had_ to memorize. Her very life could depend on it.

Bleary pupils scanned the information as quickly as possible. She had thirty books down, and at least twenty more to go. Flipping to the next page, her eyes drifted to the image printed at the top. She blinked tiredly at the picture before her weary eyes perked up, and focused in on the photo with vigorous intensity.

Cruel dark eyes and painted red lips, quirked in a teasing smile stared back out the page.

It was her.

 _Black Spider_.

Green eyes darted over to see the name stamped across the top of the page.

 _'Kita, Marai'_

 _Status: Missing Nin_

 _Bounty: To Be Determined upon_ _ **Capture**_ _or_ _ **Kill**_

 _Country of Origin: Iwagakure_

 _Alias: Black Spider_

 _Bloodlimit: None_

 _Specialty: Genjutsu_

 _Kita Marai crafts a unique genjutsu that causes the victim to feel as if they are dreaming. The dreams are vivid, and pleasant enough that the victim often does not want to wake up. While under the genjutsu, Kita is known to behead her victims with nin wires._

 _Associates: Unknown_

Sakura frowned as she read the last line. Black Spider had taunted Kakashi-sensei by saying that they had an old friend in common. But not a single associate was listed next to her, let alone one that Kakashi would potentially know…

Then again, she _was_ a missing nin. After cutting ties with one's village, the number of people a nin could count on was usually only whittled down to only themselves.

But forming an alliance with other missing nin was always a distinct possibility. And finding someone so talented with genjutsu was rare, so it was more than likely that someone sought her out for her unique talents.

Sakura frowned as her thoughts trailed off to how exactly _she_ had managed to escape from Black Spider's genjutsu… Kakashi-sensei seemed downright astounded that it was a feat she actually accomplished. And while his lack of faith in her abilities had stung at the time she had to reassess her opinion as she gazed at the bright red 'S' rank that stood out on the page.

No genin _should_ have been able to resist her illusion.

She thought about the original genjutsu that had been cast over all three of them. The woman had completed it so flawlessly that Sakura hadn't even felt the illusion wash over her. But once she was trapped she had experienced a euphoria so intense that she could understand why some victims never wanted to escape it… And that was when only a small portion of Black Spider's attention _and_ chakra had been used. She shuddered to think about the woman's full capabilities. Her clone had been difficult enough.

"TEME, I think I see her!" a familiar voice whisper- shouted, causing several heads to snap up at the intrusion.

"Would you _shut up_ dobe? You're going to get us kicked out before we even find Sakura," another familiar and slightly quieter, but definitely more aggravated voice replied.

Sakura internally sighed before lifting her head and spotting her two teammates in full bicker mode as they approached her.

It appeared as if her quiet and productive morning had just gone down the drain.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, his voice half- elated, and half- whining, "we have been looking for you everywhere!" he said, slumping into the chair across from hers.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, leafing through the large pile of bingo books that she had strewn around the table.

"I'm researching," she waspishly replied, snatching the book out of Sasuke's hand.

His brows rose in surprise, and Sakura huffed before rubbing at her eyes. She had had a late night _and_ an early morning, which was resulting in a thoroughly grumpy demeanor now.

It had been nearly three a.m. by the time she managed to slip into her bed. And Sakura had thanked every deity she could think of that neither one of her parents had waited up for her. Her mother would have worried and her father would have lectured. Both for vastly different reasons.

What should have been an exhausted, dreamless sleep was actually a fitful rest followed. Her mind kept chasing her with images of Black Spider's cruel eyes, the feel of cold hands clutched around her throat, and the hot flare of her own chakra…

So instead of tossing and turning, Sakura had taken a quick shower before slipping back out of the house and headed off to the library. The only way of preventing a situation like that from happening again was to be prepared. And how could one prepare for enemies, when one didn't even know who enemies were?

"But Sakura-chan, it's our day off! You should be relaxing, not _researching_ ," Naruto said, his nose scrunching up on the last word.

Sakura refrained from pointing out to Naruto that she actually _enjoyed_ reading about shinobi techniques. Or how researching rogue nin had become somewhat of a hobby. Yesterday may have put things a little more in perspective and turned her hobby to a necessity, but it didn't change the fact that she was in her element amongst the stacks of books.

Sasuke must have followed her line of reasoning a little more, even if he arrived at a different conclusion.

"Don't you think you're going a little overboard? I mean, its not like every shinobi we encounter will be listed in one of these books, or will have the ego to introduce themselves before attacking."

Sakura _had_ indeed thought about that, but she felt her irritation rising even more with Sasuke's haughty tone. He seemed to be in just as grumpy of a mood as her- granted he also had good reason after last night's revelations. And judging from the dark smudges under his eyes, he had gotten about as much sleep as Sakura had too.

But still, his superior attitude _grated_ on her. She had to take it at home, but she didn't have to stand for it here.

"I still think its beneficial to potentially recognize a enemy nin, and know their strengths. Therefore we are more readily available to pinpoint their weaknesses," Sakura said, condescension coloring her words.

"How are you supposed to remember all these names and faces though Sakura-chan?" Naruto doubtfully asked as he skimmed through an older book from Rain.

"I have an eidetic memory."

Naruto just stared at her blankly.

"It means she has a photographic memory, dobe. She remembers everything she reads or sees," Sasuke impatiently explained. He then turned to her, "I didn't know you had that."

Sakura shrugged. It had never seemed like an overly important detail to share. Sure, it was a unique trait, but it didn't exactly put her on the prodigy level, so Sakura had never seen the point in divulging it.

And for the first time, Sakura watched as Naruto actually _agreed_ with Sasuke.

"Sakura-chan, that's pretty important. We're a team, you should tell us this type of stuff!"

A falsely repentant smile crossed her lips and seemed to put Naruto at ease. But Sasuke's hawk like eyes remained rooted to hers, unrelenting.

Yes, they were a team. No, they were _not_ a family- despite Kakashi-sensei's words. And no, Sakura didn't plan on divulging every single thing about herself with them. Everyone had secrets- it was human nature to keep things to yourself- to burry the darkest, ugliest part of yourself deep, deep down to never see the sun.

And it wasn't like she was the only one who was keeping things to herself. She could see the secrets guarded behind Kakashi's mask, Naruto's sometimes-faltering smile, and Sasuke's haunted eyes.

But somehow her teammates and sensei seemed to forget about their own rigid (or in Naruto's case nonexistent) boundaries and were more than ready to pry into her personal life. In this case, she needed to divert Sasuke's attention.

"Have you seen Kakashi-sensei at all this morning?"

Sasuke's suspicious eyes flashed with indiscernible emotions, (which was understandable, considering what he found out about the man) before he shook his head no.

Sakura swallowed hard before bringing up a topic that she was quite sure was forbidden, and not just because it was considered socially unacceptable. "I need to ask you something about the sharingan."

Sasuke's jaw clenched, but he reluctantly lowered himself into the chair beside Naruto.

"What do you want to know?" he asked, tone guarded.

"How much do you know about your dojutsu? Were you taught about it when you were younger?"

Sasuke's brows pinched into a frown as he considered her question. Naruto meanwhile looked between the two, utterly befuddled, but for once remained silent.

"I know a bit, but not much. It was traditional in my family to only be taught about the sharingan in a special ceremony once you activated it," Sasuke tonelessly relayed.

Sakura's mind whirled with the new information.

Some families with bloodlimits taught their children about them from young ages. Hinata had once told her that she grew up taking lessons about the byakugan because it was a bloodlimit she was born with- not one she developed. The Uchiha's seemed to take a totally different approach.

"And how exactly is the sharingan activated, if you don't mind me asking?" Sakura questioned, barely noticing the pain in her teammate's eyes as her mind ruthlessly theorized about Black Spider's interest in her teammate.

"Why do you want to know all this?" Sasuke finally snapped.

"Don't yell at her teme!" Naruto said, shooting Sasuke a glare.

Sakura bit her lip as she finally noticed what Sasuke's surliness was covering- his anguish. His _dead_ family were all sharingan users, and here she was thoughtlessly quizzing him about it.

"I'm sorry."

Sasuke nodded, but wouldn't meet her eyes.

"You guys are confusing me!" Naruto loudly exclaimed. "I know this sharingan thing is a big deal, but why are you so interested in it Sakura-chan? It's not like your going to develop it."

"Keep your voice down," Sasuke hissed.

Naruto shot him an annoyed glare, but Sasuke missed it, as he too was intent on her answer.

Sakura leaned forward and lowered her voice, both boys leaning in to hear her rushed words.

"Yesterday when I was in the woods with one of Black Spider's clones, she pinned me against a tree-" Naruto's face looked horrified and Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, but Sakura continued on, "and she asked me if Sasuke had activated his sharingan yet…"

Naruto looked puzzled, but Sasuke's eyes held her own, reflecting her own troubled state.

"Why would she want to know that?" Naruto questioned.

Sakura suppressed her sigh, "Think about it Naruto- the sharingan allows the user to copy _any_ jutsu, so long as it's not a bloodlimit. Who wouldn't want a weapon like that?"

"So Black Spider is after teme's eyes?"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, lost in thought as his midnight eyes traced the ceiling. "I don't think _she's_ after me- she told Kakashi she was there because of an old mutual friend."

"Exactly," Sakura said. "But I found her in the bingo books and no known affiliates of hers are listed. Whoever _is_ after you is a mystery, and I don't even think Kakashi-sensei knows."

"You talked to Kakashi about this?" Sasuke questioned, his attention returning to her.

Sakura thought back to her conversation with the man in question last night. She felt as if it was her duty to tell him. Sure, it involved her teammate, but even Sasuke should realize they were over their heads with whatever foul plot was going on.

"Of course I did! If someone snuck into the village in the middle of the night and kidnapped you and I _didn't_ tell Kakashi-sensei, that would be on my conscious," Sakura said, tone flat.

Sasuke's face was the picture of annoyed offense, but Sakura held his stare, daring him to contradict her.

"Well, what did Kaka-sensei say?" Naruto questioned.

Sakura sighed, "He told me to go home and get some rest."

"So basically he doesn't know squat either," Naruto huffed.

" _My, my_ , I don't know if I should be thrilled or offended," a new voice drawled.

Naruto jumped, Sasuke whirled around, and Sakura felt her stomach drop as she met the lone eye of her sensei.

"Kaka-sensei, we were just, ugh, doing some light reading," Naruto said, completely failing to sound innocent, as he picked up a bingo book, upside down.

"Oh _really_?" Kakashi said, his amusement clear. "Because I could have sworn I just heard you three talking about Black Spider…"

Sakura kept quiet as Kakashi came around to her side of the table and sat in the only other free chair beside her. He leafed through the pile of bingo books for a moment, purposefully drawing out the tension.

"While I applaud you three actually working together for once, I have to warn you to let this particular incident go. Its way above your pay grade," Kakashi finally said, looking pointedly at her.

"But sensei, someone is after _Sasuke_!" Naruto pleaded. "And he is family! Aren't we supposed to look after family?"

Sasuke's face took on a bizarre mixture or horror and disbelief as Naruto uttered this, but he didn't contradict him either, which practically confirmed his agreement.

"Yes, Naruto, you should look after each other. And I do want you to keep a close eye on Sasuke," the boy in question grimaced, "but save the investigating for the jounin that are actually _trained_ to do it."

Naruto's face took on a distinct pouty expression, but he remained quiet. Sakura met Sasuke's eyes and she could tell that he wasn't going to let this go.

"Now, there is actually another reason that I came to see you three about," Kakashi said, straightening out of his slouch. "I have scheduled each of you an appointment with the shinobi psychiatric councilor-"

Sasuke opened his mouth, nearly beating Naruto in his furious protest, but Kakashi raised his hand to stop the two.

"This is standard procedure you three. You each saw your first dead body in the line of action yesterday. They just want to make sure that you are dealing with this properly, and have some tips that can help you _overcome_ what you saw."

"This is pointless," Sasuke scoffed, more fury in his eyes than when Sakura had brought up the sharingan.

"Be that as it may," Kakashi replied, voice firm, "this session is mandatory for all Konoha shinobi- _no one_ is exempt."

Sakura felt a strange combination of both dread and contempt settle within her. Talking to a shrink about a dead body- how _pointless_. Any child who entered the shinobi Academy was explicitly told that at some point death was part of their job description.

 _Kill or be killed_.

And she couldn't fathom _how_ exactly talking to shrink was going to help them… It's not like spilling her inner feelings of sympathetic disgust was going to all of the sudden bring Ito Yori back to life. He was dead, and going to stay dead, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

It would be different if she had done the actual killing. But in this case Sakura harbored no guilt over the man with the glass eyes in the garden. Yes, he had suffered a terrible and needless fate, but she was not responsible for putting him there.

"I will inform you when the appointment schedules have been finalized. And whatever you say will remain completely confidential. Your councilor will only give me the results of your session, but no details will be shared," Kakashi stated.

And Sakura wasn't sure how he could keep a straight face, even under his mask while he said that. Because there was no possible way that whatever was going to be discussed behind closed doors wasn't going to be shared. Kakashi would more than likely know every detail, and report it back to the Hokage. Especially when someone like Sasuke- the last Uchiha, whose eyes were being sought after was involved.

"Now, if you three aren't _too_ busy, I thought I would show you something interesting," Kakashi-sensei said, his voice returning to its lackadaisical drawl.

"Awe sensei, you said it was our day off," Naruto groaned.

"I'm not making you train. I'm going to assess your chakra levels, and show you what your possible ninjutsu element is." All three of his student's eyes suddenly became much more interested as they zoned in on him. "That is, _if_ your interested…"

"We're interested," Sasuke immediately said.

"Good," Kakashi replied, rising from his chair. "Follow me to the training ground."

Sakura got to her feet to follow, only feeling slightly bad for whatever chunin was going to have to clean up her mess. But this new information- this was worth its weight in gold.

And Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious as she followed her three teammates out of the library and through the village. Why did it feel like their sensei was buttering them up for something? He already shared the bad news about the psychiatric evaluations- they were mandatory and not his fault, so why was he doing this? Kakashi-sensei hadn't even hinted that he was close to teaching them any special ninjutsu- so far it was all taijutsu.

The only other thing Sakura could think off was that he had alternative reasons for wanting to know about their chakra affinities.

"Maybe we can all get lunch together afterwards," Naruto brightly chirped.

"Perhaps," Kakashi conceded, his mask pulling up in the telltale sign of a smile.

And Sakura felt slightly ashamed of the way she was thinking about her sensei. He was a good teacher that probably just felt bad about what they experienced yesterday, and wanted to cheer them up.

No nin beneath the jounin level should have faced off against Black Spider- clones _or_ the real woman, and yet they had. It had only further emerged them into this adulthood of ninja dealings that Kakashi-sensei always seemed so opposed to pushing them into.

She really needed to stop automatically assuming the worst about people.

Kakashi-sensei led them to the little pond at the edge of the training grounds, and they each sat down in a circle.

Eyes alert and focused on their sensei, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were doing their best to be patient, as anything less would cause the lazy man to take even more time getting to the point.

"Alright you three, the first thing we are going to do is find out if you have any elemental affiliations for ninjutsu. Do not feel badly if you don't, as there are many strong shinobi who do not and still have an impressive arsenal of ninjutsu," Kakashi stated.

"What's your element?" Sakura questioned, intrigued.

Kakashi's lone eye met hers and crinkled happily, "When I was your age, my only affinity was lightening. Because of the sharingan and lots and lots of practice, I am able to use _all_ elements."

He directed the last bit to Sasuke. It wasn't obvious in the way Sasuke perked up, but his eyes did look a little lighter.

"That's so cool sensei! So how do we figure out what element we are?" Naruto demanded.

Kakashi's gloved hand reached into his weapons pouch, and he rooted around for a moment before withdrawing… paper.

Sakura's brow furrowed, feeling thoroughly underwhelmed.

"This is special paper," Kakashi explained. "Whenever someone touches it with their bare hands, it will show which element or elements their affinity is. Who wants to go first?"

Naruto snatched the paper out of Kakashi's hand before he even finished his sentence.

Sakura watched in fascination, as the paper remained blank for a moment before little wind tunnels began to gather along the page, gaining momentum until they turned into a small tornado.

"Congratulations Naruto, you seem to be wind affiliated. There are several famous wind users, including one of the legendary sannin," Kakashi said.

"Cool," Naruto slowly breathed out. "I'm going to be the strongest wind user ever, believe it!"

Sasuke snatched the paper out of his hands with an eye roll.

Naruto grumbled for a moment, but quickly hushed as they all focused on the paper in his hand. Sakura felt her eyes widen as electricity began to crackle across the page.

"Sasuke, you appear to be a lightening user like me," Kakashi said.

Sasuke's brows furrowed, "But my family has always been known to be fire users."

"That doesn't mean that you still cannot use fire ninjutsu," Sakura found herself saying. "I'm sure we could all perform any type of ninjutsu, but whatever we have an affinity for will be easiest."

She thought back to the way she tried using fire style ninjutsu with her whip. Her heart sank as she thought about how difficult it had been. She had always wanted to be a fire user, especially in combination with her whip.

"Sakura is right. Anyone can perform any style of ninjutsu, but utilizing one within your affinity will be much more powerful," Kakashi stated.

"Your turn Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, his eyes bright with excitement.

Nerves scuttled down her spine as she took the paper from Sasuke.

For a long moment the paper did nothing and Sakura felt her heart sink even further. What was worse than not being a fire style user was not having any affinity at all, despite what Kakashi said.

But Sakura's brow pinched as the paper became damp beneath her hands. She watched as the parchment wilted with moisture, before hardening again, frost spreading over its surface.

"That's- _interesting_ ," Kakashi-sensei said, his tone making Sakura's head snap up to meet his eye.

"What is?" Sakura questioned.

"Isn't she a water style user?" Sasuke inquired, asking the very question that was on the tip of her tongue.

"Yes, with a particular talent for ice jutsus it seems," Kakashi answered.

"Isn't that similar to Sasuke with lightening?" Sakura questioned. "Technically lightening is a wind jutsu, right?"

"No, not exactly. Lightening is a combination of fire and wind, but it has its own affiliates. Ice however is usually a type of water jutsu learned, not immediately affiliated, which makes your paper unique."

"So does this mean you are going to start teaching us cool ninjutsu sensei?' Naruto eagerly questioned.

Sakura's eyes darted to her sensei's face, just as anxious for his answer.

"Its not quite that simple Naruto," Kakashi stated. "I have to check and see where your chakra levels are at first."

"When can we do that?" Naruto asked, practically bouncing.

"Well, we can now, if you don't mind spending a little more time with your sensei."

"We don't mind," Sasuke assured.

"Alright, Naruto, you're up first again. Come here."

Sakura watched as Naruto moved closer to their sensei. Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's forehead and a faint green glow alit his gloved hands. Naruto twitched slightly, but otherwise remained silent. It only took a short moment before Kakashi was pulling away again.

"You have a very large reserve of chakra, Naruto," Kakashi stated.

His tone conveyed that this was not particularly surprising and Sakura had to wonder whether or not her sensei had some sensory abilities. Because anyone could train themselves to detect chakra, but it was much more difficult to simply be able to diagnose _how_ much chakra a person had.

"Yes!" Naruto fist pumped, "Wind jutsus, here I come!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and elbowed Naruto out of the way as he made his way in front of their sensei.

The same process was repeated again, but this time Kakashi spent even less time on Sasuke.

"You also have quite a large reserve of chakra Sasuke. And I can see the reserves behind your eyes should your sharingan develop," Kakashi stated.

Sasuke stoically nodded, but Sakura thought she could detect the relief in his dark eyes.

"And finally our kunoichi, before we get lunch," Kakashi-sensei said, gesturing her to come forward.

Sakura did as asked and moved closer to her sensei, noting the way in which his hand hesitated before pressing against her forehead.

She closed her eyes as a cooling sensation rushed through her veins in almost a pleasant way as Kakashi completed his scan. She could feel it all the way from her toes, to the tips of her ear. It lingered for a moment on her ever present hot bundle of chakra near her throat before Kakashi pulled away.

When Sakura opened her eyes she caught the astonishment in her sensei's eye, before a friendly crinkle quickly masked it.

"Everything looks great Sakura-chan," Kakashi-sensei reassured, but Sakura couldn't help but linger on the fact that he didn't comment on how large or small her actual chakra reserves were like with the others…

Did she somehow have less than them? Was she not up to par?

"Why don't we head out for some lunch now," Kakashi said, rising to his feet.

The three followed suit, and Naruto was off towards the bridge yelling about ramen. Sasuke must have been in a slightly better mood than the morning as he quickly followed Naruto, hissing that he couldn't stomach ramen _again_ this week.

Sakura was about to follow suit before Kakashi's words stopped her.

"Sakura-chan, I'm curious, have you always had the chakra reserve in your throat, or is it a recent development?"

Sakura frowned slightly, wondering at his line of questioning. She had never thought it particularly odd that she had a large cluster of chakra near her throat, simply dismissing it. Everyone had lumps of chakra outside of their core source... right?

Looking up at the older man, she saw that his gaze was carefully fixed on the bickering boys ahead of them.

"I have always had the chakra there. Or at least I think so. I didn't know how to detect it when I was younger, but when I did my first scan it was there. Why?"

Kakashi's eye caught hers, "Most people don't have large chakra reserves outside of their chakra core… did you know that the one by your throat is actually larger than your core chakra?"

Sakura's eyes widened. It had been days since she last meditated. With everything going on, and training being exhausting, not to mention she was somewhat avoiding looking within herself, afraid to see the black mass had grown larger, Sakura _hadn't_ checked out her chakra.

"No, I didn't. Is- is that bad sensei?"

Kakashi carefully grinned, "No, it's not bad. Just something that you should be aware of when you are drawing out chakra for jutsus."

Sakura felt her shoulders slump with relief.

"Did your mother even mention having a chakra cluster like yours near her throat. Or a possible bloodlimit?"

And despite the ease in which her sensei asked the question, Sakura felt as if ice had been poured down her spine. "No, not that I know of. Why?" she questioned, voice free of the panic clawing its way through her.

"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering if it was inherited," Kakashi said.

Sakura offered him a polite smile, and felt bone- crushing relief when he dropped the subject in favor of chiding Naruto for swearing very loudly at their Uchiha teammate.

But still, the fearful paranoia followed her around all the way through lunch at Ichirakus. And when Kakashi-sensei excused himself from his stool, skipping out on the bill, Sakura couldn't help but worriedly follow the trails of smoke he left behind.

Her instincts informed her that something bad was going to happen soon.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry it took so long, but I'm all moved in now, so my writing is back on track.**

 **Things are starting to pan out and become exciting!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**

 **-Nyx**


	16. Ready or Not

**Chapter 15: Ready or Not**

" _Get your facts first,_

 _then you can distort them_

 _as you please."_

 _-Mark Twain_

"And how did that make you feel?"

Sakura fought against the impulse to roll her eyes at the stereotypical question as Mori-sensei peered at her over the thick black frames of his glasses. She settled on shrugging instead.

The psychologist gave a deep sigh, "You know Sakura-chan, most shinobi that visit my office are rather reluctant to open up to me. But usually they are a little older, and typically male."

Sakura lifted her lips in an imitation of a smile at his somewhat flat attempt to both amuse and provoke her.

"I suppose I'm just not certain what to tell you Mori-sensei."

"I often tell patients to practice what is called a 'stream of consciousness' when speaking to me. They can let whatever thoughts cross their mind out without fear of judgment."

Sakura's brows pinched at his explanation. Because that's exactly what his job was- to _judge_ shinobi. To ascertain whether their mental health was wavering into dangerous territory. No matter how kind his elderly wrinkled face was, he, at the end of the day was an obstacle to shinobi completing their jobs.

And yes, Sakura understood the necessity of people like Mori-sensei. She could even admit that she was thankful his job existed. Letting sound minded people wield a large amount of power was a gamble enough- she didn't even want to think about the crazy ones.

But still, she did not under any circumstance feel like pouring her 'steam of consciousness' out to him- or _anyone_ for that matter.

"I feel terrible, I suppose," Sakura slowly said, carefully settling on what she thought the most responsible answer would be.

"In what ways?" Mori-sensei questioned.

Sakura fidgeted in her seat as the man coaxed her mind into thinking about Ito Yori.

"Well, I feel horrible that he died when he needn't have. He was someone in the wrong place at the wrong time- he didn't deserve to die."

She decided it was best not to mention the sinking feeling of dread she felt creep up her spine the second her kunai sunk into his flesh. Or the feeling of dawning comprehension and disgust when she finally realized what exactly her weapon had bit into. Those would not be the appropriate responses.

"Does anyone _really_ deserve to die?" Mori-sensei questioned, eyes intent on her squirming figure.

Sakura bit her lip and was tempted to curse the man. What kind of question was that? What did it have to do with seeing her first death in the line of action?

"I'm not one who should get to judge that sensei. That's for the people giving out the missions," Sakura smartly responded.

And something about her sharp tone must have made the man focus in on her with an even greater intensity.

"Yes, but you could be the one who eventually has to carry those order out. Are you ready for that?"

Sakura exhaled, stumped. This man was asking all sorts of questions- questions that didn't have _right_ answers. Questions that made her want to pull her hair out. She had no choice but to answer with the truth.

"Of course I'm not. Is anyone _really_ ever ready to take a life? But if I have to do so for the well being of my village, than I can only do my best."

Mori-sensei smiled, looking much more like a humbled grandfather than a sharp- witted psychologist. But Sakura knew that behind the wrinkles a wry mind was scrutinizing her. She only hoped she would pass.

"That is all any of us can hope for Sakura-chan. But at the same time, when you are in the field and someone attacks you, you have to be the judge of whether or not that person lives or dies. Whether or not leaving a person alive is a threat to your village's safety... No one can tell you the answer. To kill or not to kill?"

And when Sakura left the office an hour later after recounting almost every detail from the Black Spider incident, Mori-sensei's words were still ringing in her head.

 _To kill or not to kill_?

Being in the Academy or completing pointless D rank missions made it hard to remember what the reality of shinobi life was really like. That once you were past the genin rank, you were to immerse yourself in a gritty, unforgiving world. Where you had to make tough choices on whether people lived or died. It was a reality that she had always known about, but had never truly been exposed to. Because no matter how cruel or unfair life had been to her thus far, it was nothing compared to how harsh the field could be.

Black Spider had shown her just a smidgen of how cruel nin could be. People were murdered, tortured, raped every day in the line of action. Hell, she could be the one ordered to do the murdering, torturing, raping in the future… It was something she had always known, but now that Mori-sensei had questioned her, Sakura felt hopelessly unprepared.

How exactly did one prepare themselves to become a killer? Aside from the obvious practicing how to master weapons, how did you train yourself to be okay with murder? When it came down to it, could she be the one plunging her kunai into a real animated body, and feel the hot thick blood splatter on her fingers?

But as Sakura absently trailed through the middle of the market place, she spotted her usually energetic, smiling blonde teammate seated on a bench, an uncharacteristic frown painting his whiskered face. And just one look at that face told her everything- if it came down to it and she had to, she could kill for these people.

"What's got you so down?" Sakura questioned, sinking down on the bench next to Naruto.

"Oh, hey Sakura-chan. I didn't see you there," Naruto said, a half- hearted smile tugging at his lips.

She studied the way his blue eyes wouldn't quite meet her own. "You can tell me if something is bothering you, you know."

She wasn't sure she was equipped with the proper social cues to handle a downtrodden Naruto, but she would try her best.

"It's nothing really," he feebly protested, tugging at the sleeve of his jumpsuit.

"If it was nothing than it wouldn't be bothering you so much," Sakura gently argued.

Naruto let out a long sigh and his eyes focused on the playground across the street from them. Two little boys were chasing each other around the swings.

"My psychologist wasn't very friendly," Naruto finally said, eyes still rooted on the children.

Sakura cocked her head, "You didn't have Mori-sensei?"

He slowly shook his head, "No, I had a woman named Honda-sensei. She- she didn't like me very much…"

Sakura frowned. Though she would never say it to his face, Naruto had never been the most observant person. In fact he could be downright obtuse a lot of the time, especially when it came to people. So whoever this woman was, she must have made her contempt more than obvious.

"How could you tell?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and Sakura saw a blush burn his tanned cheeks. "She just acted like she didn't want to deal with me. And whenever I answered one of her questions- she would look at me like- like I was, like-"

Much to Sakura's shock and slight horror, she saw a tear drip down Naruto's cheek.

She froze in panic and wondered exactly what she was supposed to do in this situation. Because crying in her household was strictly forbidden by her father. He hated seeing fat tears drip down female faces. And to cry in front of any other Haruno would be the ultimate sign of weakness- one she would never make.

But Naruto was not a Haruno, and she never wanted him to feel ashamed for simply being himself in front of her. So she hesitantly reached over and took his hand. Naruto's head snapped over to meet her at the contact and he quickly brushed the tears away.

"Please don't tell the teme about this," he said, voice barely above a whisper.

"I won't." Sakura reassured, a small smile gracing her lips.

Naruto returned the smile, and quickly pulled her into a hug. Once again her eyes widened in shock as his orange clad arms tightly embraced her. Hugs were not a common occurrence in her life, but they were probably even less frequent in his.

"Do you want to tell Kakashi-sensei about how terrible the woman was?" Sakura questioned once he released her.

Naruto frantically shook his head. "No, I don't want Kakashi-sensei to think I'm a wimp."

Sakura strongly doubted Kakashi would think that- especially about something as serious as this. And with the way that a lot of the villagers treated Naruto- simply for being a troublemaking orphan, it was no far stretch that this psychologist would follow along the same lines.

"Alright," Sakura acquiesced. It was not her place to relay non- life threatening information when her teammate asked her not too.

Naruto's mouth lifted to a grin, but it still wasn't as radiant as usual. The lashes rimming his brilliant blue eyes remained wet.

"How about we go get some ramen for lunch, my treat?" Sakura offered, her stomach already rebelling at the thought.

His grin lifted into a full- blown smile, "Really Sakura-chan? Like a date?"

Sakura gave him a flat look, "No Naruto, like two _friends_ , eating lunch."

Nartuo's smile, if possible, got even larger at her mention of friends. He grabbed her hand and dragged her off the bench, "Well, come on then, I'm starving!"

Sakura grumbled as Naruto dragged her through the market until her bottom was firmly planted on a stool at Ichirakus. She politely ordered the miso ramen, while Naruto ordered every type off the menu.

"When do you think we will get another mission?" Naruto asked, bouncing on his seat as he watched the bowls being poured.

"I'm not sure. The Hokage may not want to give us anything for a while after the last one…"

Naruto pulled a face, "I know that things got out of hand with the last mission, but that was hardly _our_ fault! Gramps shouldn't punish us for it!"

Sakura shook her head at Naruto's blatantly rude nickname for the Hokage, as her meal was placed before her.

She watched as Naruto eyed her bowl before his eyes strayed past the ramen stand entirely.

"Hey, hey _teme_!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura swung her head around spotted Sasuke standing across the street. She also noticed several people stop to give Naruto harsh looks at boisterous and colorful language.

Sasuke scowled at the attention, and slowly made his way over to them now that Naruto had thoroughly succeeded in making a scene.

"Good afternoon Sasuke," Sakura greeted, before delicately sipping her soup.

Sasuke merely grunted in return as he stood behind the two, looking back and forth between them.

"Are you two on a date?" he finally questioned, his voice sounding odd.

Sakura nearly inhaled a noodle and choked on her surprise. She shot Sasuke a nasty glare, but it was overshadowed by Naruto's sly smile.

"Why yes, teme, we are-"

"We're not on a date," Sakura deadpanned.

Naruto sighed, and Sakura thought she heard him mumble something along the lines of 'it was worth a shot.'

"You're free to join us if you wish," Sakura politely offered.

Sasuke grabbed a nearby stool and shoved Naruto over, ignoring the blonde's loud shout, before wedging himself between the two.

Sakura's brow rose in wonder at the slight commotion her dark haired teammate normally shied away from.

But within minutes everyone had a bowl (or dozen) in front of them and were quietly enjoying lunch.

"Did you have to meet with a counsellor this morning too?" Sakura questioned, after finishing her last spoonful.

"Hn."

Sakura huffed. This was Sasuke language for 'I don't want to talk about it.'

"Well Naruto and I did," Sakura continued, wondering if her teammate would at least fess up to _whom_ he had to see.

Sasuke just nodded. From behind his back Sakura could see Naruto making crazy notions with his fingers in regards to their stoic teammate.

"What time were we supposed to meet Kakashi-sensei again?" Naruto questioned through a mouthful.

Sasuke sighed and set his spoon down at the sight of food sticking out of Naruto's mouth. "Two o'clock, _dobe_. Please tell me you can at least tell time?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "Of course I can, teme, I'm not _stupid_."

Sasuke opened his mouth to no doubt refute Naruto's claim, so Sakura figured this was the best time to cut in. Otherwise she risked ramen flying everywhere in a soon to be tussle.

"Once Naruto is finished we might as well make our way to the training grounds together," she suggested.

The two boys agreed, shooting each other scowls. Eventually Sakura had to cut Naruto off before his unhealthy addiction made them late. Not that their sensei would bother to be punctual, but a habit was a habit…

"Have you thought about asking a jounin to help place traps on your house?" Sakura questioned Sasuke as they made their way to the training ground.

"If someone else sets traps on my house then how would I be able to get into it?" Sasuke drily answered.

Sakura shot him a small glare. He was acting more prickly than usual today.

"Did you perhaps think about asking them to, oh I don't know, teach you what they would set up before hand?" Sakura asked, sarcasm dripping from her words.

Naruto burst out in laughter, and Sasuke returned her glare with a fierce one of his own.

"I don't need any help," he protested.

Sakura had been accused of being stubborn in the past, but it was nothing compared to the stubbornness of boys.

"There is S ranked nin trying to steal your eyes, you think you would want to be a little more prepared incase something happens," Sakura darkly muttered.

Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but Naruto's shout cut him off.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here on time?"

Kakashi-sensei actually had the gall to pretend to be offended. "I don't know what you mean Naruto. I am always punctual- it just seems as though all sorts of emergencies requiring my expertise pop up when I'm around."

"Liar!" Naruto hotly accused.

"What are we doing today sensei?" Sakura questioned.

"Well, my cute students, we are going to do some basic training and then I'm going to read you our mission statement that I received from the Hokage this morning."

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all traded slightly astonished looks. None of them had been expecting to get a mission so soon after the last disaster.

Sakura had in fact been preparing a speech on why exactly they shouldn't be punished with lack of missions just because some crazy missing nin decided to crash their quaint D ranked one.

"Ne, sensei what sort of mission will we be completing?" Naruto questioned, excitement already brewing in his tone.

"How about I tell you that _after_ you complete two hundred pushups, four dozen suicide sprints and, ah I'll go easy on you- eighty crunches."

Sakura huffed at their sensei's predictable behavior before gathering her long locks into a ponytail. As much of a pain in the butt these workouts sometimes seemed to be, she could only appreciate them- they would help keep her alive in the long run. So Sakura completed the pushups, suicides, and crunches with aching muscles, and sweat dripping off her skin, but nary a complaint. She was happy to note that she was nearly on par with her two teammates.

"So what are we doing for our mission?" Sasuke asked, his voice coming out in a light pant.

"Hm?" Kakashi-sensei mumbled, merely turning the page in book.

" _Sensei_ ," Naruto complained. "What's our mission?"

With a sigh, Kakashi closed his book and slipped it back into his pocket. He reached into another pocket and withdrew a familiar looking scroll. Sakura watched him unroll it with keen eyes, wondering at exactly what task the Hokage would think them capable of.

"We have a D ranked mission," Kakashi-sensei started, ignoring Naruto's whine, "where we will be travelling outside of Konoha and into Fire Country's southern forest to collect medicinal herbs for the hospital."

And despite its 'D' ranking, Sakura felt intrigued at this mission. She had never before been outside of the village. Travelling was one of the biggest parts of why she wanted to become a shinobi in the first place, and she could already feel the anticipation brewing within her at being able to explore more of Fire Country.

"This will be a three day long mission, so I need you all to pack proper overnight necessities. I will provide the camping gear, but you each will have to carry your share. So beware to not over pack needless things," Kakashi warned.

"When do we leave?" Sasuke questioned.

"We will leave tomorrow morning at six a.m. I want you all to meet me at the village gates. Any questions?"

The three of them shook their heads and Kakashi dismissed them for the night.

Sakura spent her run home both daydreaming about what great things she would get to see, and mentally tallying what necessities she would have to pack. Opening the door, the smile on her lips fell slightly when she heard her father's dulcet tones coming from the kitchen.

Sakura eyed the door to the kitchen with thinly veiled dislike, and slunk off to her room, keen to escape her father's notice, at least until the obligatory dinner time. She immediately changed into a fresh pair of clothing and rooted through her closet for the largest nin pack she had.

Days in Konoha were always balmy, but nights tended to be cooler, so the young girl picked out her thickest pajamas, and added them first, along with undergarments. Three pairs of nin pants, and four shirts (just incase something happened to one) got added to the bag. A light sweater, her toiletries, and a few scrolls were all she managed to add before she could hear her mother's weary voice calling her for dinner.

Slipping into her usual seat, Sakura avoided her father's dark unforgiving eyes. She sipped her tea and ate her ongiri in silence, as both her parents did. But thoughts of her mission plagued her mind, and Sakura experienced an uncommon, and unwise slip of the tongue.

"I'm going to be away on a three day mission outside of Konoha starting tomorrow," she said, eyes focused on her plate.

And the moment the words left her lips, Sakura silently cursed herself. She _knew_ better than to bring up anything shinobi related in front of her father. And she could have easily got away with only informing her mother later that evening.

Sure enough, Sakura could practically feel the heat resonating off her father's glare. "Where will you be going?"

Meeting her father's eyes, only because she knew it was impolite and would only infuriate him more not to, Sakura calmly answered, "The southern forest within Fire Country."

Tension curdled in the room, and Sakura could feel her appetite quickly dissolve as the air felt thick with the oncoming storm that she knew would be her father's temper.

"So you'll be travelling alone with three males," Kizashi bit out, his tone implying all kinds of things that should never be associated with twelve- year- old girls.

Sakura shot a quick look at her mother, but her mother's eyes remained rooted on her food in front of her.

"I will be travelling with my teammates, yes," Sakura quietly affirmed, wilting at the way the frown grew more prominent on her father's face.

"Its inappropriate for you to be travelling alone with males who are not family members. Eating, sleeping, _bathing_ with them," Kizashi bit out.

Sakura's throat felt thick as she thought of the rebuttal that would surely end her father's argument. But it could also end her life if she dare make the statement about how she couldn't trust the males in her own family with her vulnerable female self nearly as much as she could trust her team.

"Nothing inappropriate will happen father, Kakashi-sensei will make sure of it," Sakura attempted to reassure. She thanked Kami that her father knew nothing about her sensei and his perverted reading habits.

"And I'm sure your sensei along with those other nin boys are paragons of virtue! Seeing as you're all being taught how to be thieves, murders, and whores!"

Sakura caught the way her mother flinched at the last label, but was no longer surprised by it. She hardly felt surprised at any negative thing her father could come up with concerning shinobi. So she took a page from her mother's book and remained silent.

"Just know _girl_ that you may not be a Haruno, but you represent us. And don't you dare let any uncouth behavior happen to sully _my_ good name!" Kizashi spat.

Sakura quickly nodded her ascent. There was absolutely nothing that she and her team would be doing that her father was accusing them of any way. She doubted there would be any murdering or thieving happening on a D rank mission, and there was absolutely no way the Hokage would send twelve year olds on a honey pot… But it was useless to argue with him.

She finished her dinner in silence and quietly excused herself before slipping off to her room and finishing packing.

Dinner had dampened her excitement slightly, but not enough to fully tame the butterflies in her stomach.

She woke early the next morning and enjoyed a long hot shower, knowing the wilderness would offer no such luxuries. Changing into some nin shorts and a dark green tunic, Sakura braided her hair and grabbed her thicker soled boots, weapon's pouch, and pack before heading out the door.

It felt strange walking in a different direction than the bridge that they normally met on, but Sakura idly took in the new scenery. Not many people had risen yet, so the streets were mostly bare. As she reached the gates, Sakura wasn't surprised to see Sasuke already waiting.

"Good morning," Sakura quietly greeted.

"Morning," Sasuke said, staring up at the three guards stationed on top of the gate.

"Have you ever been out of the village before?" Sakura questioned, as she too took in the large gate that marked the entrance to the Hidden Village.

"No, you?"

Sakura shook her head. She was more than ready too though.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!" a familiar voice called.

Naruto was running towards them, a huge pack swaying dangerously with his every movement.

"Good morning Naruto," Sakura greeted, eying the bulging pack.

"Did you not listen to Kakashi? He said only pack necessaties dobe," Sasuke scoffed.

"I did," Naruto said defensively. "I even cut back on the amount of underwear I packed!"

Sakura grimaced.

"Then what is possibly taking up so much space?" Sasuke questioned.

He poked the side of Naruto's pack with one finger and the three of them watched incredulously as the zipper drew back and packs of instant ramen flooded out.

"Teme!" Naruto cried, scrambling to try and gather them all, whilst still wearing the pack.

"Seriously dobe, ramen? That's what you thought Kakashi meant by necessity?" Sasuke said, voice an interesting mix of condescending disbelief.

Sakura on the other hand hardly felt surprised, but at the same time she shook her head at Naruto's antics. She only hoped it wouldn't slow the group down.

"Of course it is! I will have something to eat when we take snack breaks," Naruto defended.

"Tch. We're not going on a picnic, we are going on a mission. There won't be any snack breaks."

Naruto's angry, yet slightly panicked eyes met her own. "There will be snack breaks, right Sakura-chan?"

"I'm not sure. I packed a few protein bars to eat along the way, but I don't know if Kakashi-sensei will be giving us breaks," she answered.

Naruto deflated a bit, but still stubbornly insisted that at least he had dinner.

Sakura sighed and tuned her teammates arguing out until their sensei arrived, late as usual.

"Good morning Team Seven, are you ready to depart?" Kakashi asked, not even bothering to offer one of his lame excuses. He too had a large pack hanging off his shoulders.

"Yes!" Naruto eagerly declared for the three of them.

"Alright. The rules for this mission are as such. You follow all my orders without question or complaint. You work together, and help anyone who may be falling behind? Understand?"

"Yes sensei," the three muttered with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

"Follow me," Kakashi said, heading towards the gate.

Sakura felt her heart rate pick up in anticipation. It only took a moment for the guards to look over Kakashi's mission statement and open the thick wooden doors. But when the road to the outside was presented to her Sakura's eyes widened.

Sure it didn't look much different than what lay inside Konoha, she hadn't really expected it too. But it was new, and exciting, and therefore everything looked just a little bit brighter.

But what she and the rest of the team failed to notice was that one of the guards was watching their descent into Fire Country with devious eyes and a cunning smile.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I am absolutely thrilled with the response I have been getting with this story!**

 **I did have someone ask if this story will be a romance. The short answer: no, not really. The long answer: I am debating on making this** **story into a trilogy (instead of one veerrrryyy long one). Romance will be involved in part 2 and 3. I hope that sort of answers that question. And please let me know your thoughts on possible trilogy.**

 **Anyways, please review and let me know what you think! Your opinions will make me feel better as I read them in bed with the flu!**

 **-Nyx**


	17. Something Wicked

**Chapter 16: Something Wicked**

" _Normal is an illusion._

 _What is normal for the spider_

 _is chaos for the fly."_

 _-Morticia Addams_

Viridian green darted to and fro almost frantically. And though Sakura would have loved to claim that her diligence was due to scouting for enemies, the truth was not so noble. She was utterly fascinated with the lands outside of the village. And though the scenery could not boast to be overly enthralling, she was still taken by the newness of it.

With the rate Kakashi-sensei was allowing them missions, who knew when she would get a chance like this again.

"Naruto quit running ahead. If an enemy were lying in wait you would be dead in a heartbeat," Kakashi lazily berated, not sounding at all concerned.

"Pfft. Like I would let some lousy enemy nin hurt me! I'm an awesome shinobi, believe it!" Naruto crowed back.

"Well you're certainly to loudest one," Sasuke quietly snarled.

"What was that teme? I couldn't hear you over my awesomeness!"

Sakura was sure that the glare Naruto received was chilling, but she was too busy studying a neighboring rice field.

"Sensei?" she questioned.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Will we be staying on the road the entire time?"

"No, actually once we get a little further west we will be trekking into the wilderness. You were smart to wear thicker boots."

Sakura felt her excitement rise even more. The sights from the road were interesting, but nothing would beat the wilderness in its natural glory.

And sure enough, just over an hour later Kakashi was heralding them into the forest. Thick trees with their dark foliage that spoke of ages long ago towered ominously around them, but Sakura felt more at ease than ever.

"Alright you three, now that we are off the road, we can practice some more training exercises," Kakashi announced.

Sakura reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the old oak tree she was studying and focused on the masked man.

"Take your shuriken out. You're each going to practice throwing your weapons at targets I point out. Whoever makes the least amount of accurate hits has to take last watch tonight."

Sakura perked up a little. In the Academy they had never been allowed to practice with _real_ shuriken. Kunai and senbon sure, but the sharp edges on shuriken made them too dangerous. She had practiced in her spare time of course, but even then it was usually with practice ones, knowing that her father would flay her alive if she were to cause any accidental damage to his property.

She withdrew a shuriken from her weapons pouch and eagerly looked to her sensei. Sasuke and Naruto mirrored her pose.

"Alright, no stopping to aim. You need to keep your movements fluid, and use your momentum to accurately hit your targets," Kakashi-sensei lectured. "Sasuke, aim at that fern. Naruto, aim at that branch on the holly tree. And Sakura, aim at that hanging leaf."

Sakura nodded, but had to force herself not to stop walking and take stance. Her eyes narrowed in on the thin oak leaf hanging precariously from the tip of its branch. It was difficult though, as each step took her closer to the target, and thus changed her trajectory.

Drawing her arm back, she aligned her hand and hips to the leaf, and let the shuriken fly. It bit threw her targeted oak leaf, instantly knocking it off the branch.

She caught the weapon before it hit the ground and let a smug smirk bloom on her lips. _No late night guard duty after all…_

"Good job Sasuke and Sakura. That's one point for each of you. Naruto, you need to slow down if you have any hope of hitting your targets," Kakashi said, masked nose for once not tucked in his book.

And for the next few hours Kakashi gave them target after target, keeping a running commentary on who was taking the lead points wise. Sasuke was dominating their little competition, which was not overly surprising, but it still frustrated the pink haired girl endlessly. She was only somewhat placated that her second place ranking was only slightly below his.

Naruto, on the other hand was not faring quite so well. He kept either losing focus or eating up too much space between himself and his targets. Sakura could practically feel the annoyance coupled with determination radiating off of him.

By hour four her throwing arm was beginning to cramp up. But she continued on, ignoring the pain and adjusting her stance to make sure she compensated for her throbbing muscles. Her eyes no longer took in the lush greenery that surrounded her. Instead they honed in on her targets with single- minded precision.

At hour five, Naruto's cry of pain jerked her out of concentration and caused her sailing weapon to miss its mark by more than a foot. Her annoyance with him faded when she noticed the blood dripping down his hand.

"Shuriken's Palm," Kakashi-sensei announced as studied Naruto's tanned hand.

It was a common ailment of training shinobi. Shuriken's Palm was specific jagged cut that marked almost every nin's hand from when they first learned how to used that particular weapon. If thrown improperly than the underside of one of the curled points would dig into the thrower's palm. Naruto's now scarlet hand was proof.

Sakura watched as her sensei attentively cleaned and wrapped Naruto's hand, all whilst Naruto's cheeks flushed, from either pain or what Sakura suspected was embarrassment.

Sasuke watched the entire ordeal with bored eyes, and Sakura knew it was probably killing Naruto to let his rival see him like this. Hence the subdued silence from the blonde.

"Sensei, when are we going to start practicing ninjutsu?" Naruto questioned after his hand was securely wrapped. "You showed us what elements we have affinities for, so when are you going to show us fancy jutsus?"

"Maybe when you can handle throwing a shuriken _dobe_ ," Sasuke drawled.

Naruto growled low in his throat. His blue eyes slitted as he took in their dark haired teammate lounging against a tree.

"I won't be showing any of you ninjutsu until you show more promising signs of working together. If _one_ of you is falling behind, then I expect the other two to help him or her," Kakashi said, his eye pointedly going to Sasuke.

Sasuke's jaw clenched, but Sakura's brow furrowed. For as much as the man preached about team work, he seemed to love toting competitions between the three of them that wouldn't allow it. His round about way of saying 'help Naruto with shuriken practice' was bellied by the fact that he set them up to try and _beat_ one another.

Sakura felt even more frustration grow within her. She had checked out a whole slew of scrolls on water ninjutsu once she learned that it was where her affinity lied. But finding ice jutsus were it a bit harder. It appeared as if most shinobi that possessed ice- wielding abilities usually reaped them from a bloodlimit, and not a simple affinity. And thus they were harder to find information on to _learn_ as opposed to naturally have. She had been wishing for days that her sensei would have even a single ice jutsu amongst his thousand that he could teach her…

But if the only way to learn was to reel in her impatience and help her blonde teammate then she would do it with grace.

"Perhaps the three of us should split our points evenly and rock, paper, scissors for whom gets the last watch duty," Sakura said, her shoulders already slouching at the thought.

Naruto's whiskered cheeks tipped up in a grateful smile as he met her eyes, but when she shifted her gaze over to Sasuke, she saw him looking at her with disdain.

"Why would we do that?" Sasuke ground out.

Sakura's eyes grew flinty, "So we can use our remaining time helping each other become better with shuriken, and in turn Kakashi-sensei will help us learn ninjutsu."

Her tone was as pointed as it could be without outright saying- 'help Naruto= Kakashi helps us.' The implied _'you idiot_ ' was clear enough though.

Sasuke glowered at her, but Sakura remained impassive to his hostile gaze.

"I think that's an excellent idea Sakura-chan," Kakashi happily said. "But it is going to have to wait until tomorrow. It's getting too dark to keep practicing without risking losing your weapons."

Sakura tipped her eyes up to the already secluded sky. The thin whips of light that had managed to filter in between the leaves were growing dimmer. Twilight had officially descended upon the forest, and now that Sakura took proper notice, she could feel the cool bite of it in the air. It was going to be a cold night.

As the team ventured deeper into the heart of the forest, Sakura once again felt her eyes grow sharp and gaze become focused, but this time she wasn't honing in on the various scenery due to undisguised appreciation. This time she waswatchful of whatever or _whoever_ could be watching her back.

The forest during the day was something of indescribable beauty, but at night- at night even she had to admit it was downright creepy. Once the pitch black settled upon them, and the nocturnal animals begun their tussling prowl, Kakashi-sensei finally called their trek to a halt.

"Alright, lets set up camp for the night. Naruto… no never mind, _Sasuke_ , go gather some firewood please. Sakura start making a pit, and Naruto, just-" he made a funny hand gesture, "just be quiet."

Naruto's face twisted into a distinctly grumpy scowl, and he sat down with an unhappy plop, while Sasuke took off a little ways into the woods. Sakura busily brushed an area down and dug the earth up slightly. She gathered small sticks on the ground to help begin the fire.

Once Sasuke returned, Kakashi quickly flashed some hand signs and sparks literally danced off his fingers and brought a small fire to life. Sakura couldn't help the envy that gnawed at her bones as she watched the little display. As interesting and 'rare' having ice affinity was it just didn't seem as cool or imposing as fire.

"I brought enough food for tonight, but tomorrow I will show you how to set up traps to catch dinner," Kakashi announced.

They ate a quick and quiet meal of rationed food, Naruto only making the occasional complaint about his ramen cups going unused. But for the most part silence descended upon team seven. Something about the darkness of night, or perhaps being out in the wild had each of them reverting to their inner thoughts for company.

And as their silence stretched, the sounds of the forest grew louder. Sakura's keen ears could hear animals rustling, trees swaying, and a plethora of other noises that she couldn't quite put a name to, but mustn't have been threatening judging by Kakashi's eased gait.

"I think its time we get some rest," Kakashi announced, handing out sleeping packs to each of them. "Sakura, you take first shift, Naruto second, and Sasuke you will finish the night."

No one dared to bring up the fact that technically Naruto was supposed to be the one taking late night guard duty. Sakura hid her surprise at Sasuke's easy acceptance.

"Hey, when are _you_ going to be taking watch?" Naruto accused.

Kakashi sighed, and for once Sakura thought that the tiredness was not some feigned ruse, "Don't worry Naruto, I will be doing my fair share of guard duty during the night."

Sakura had a strong suspicion that their silver haired sensei wasn't planning on getting a wink of sleep that night. She had trouble reconciling the fact that Kakashi would actually _trust_ one of them to keep the rest of them safe. He barely trusted them with garbage duty after all.

Sakura poked at the fire with a skinny stick and while the boys changed into their pajamas and climbed into their sleeping bags. Her lips tugged into a wry grin as she noticed that they left her sleeping bag in between them, not wanting to stray too close to each other.

And as time ticked by, the sound of Naruto's snoring, and Sasuke's light breaths filled the night. She could ignore the noises emitted from Naruto's sleeping mouth, but the sounds of the forest were a little more difficult to tune out. Her untrained ears seemed to pick up _every_ single sound. And it was almost impossible to stop her head from whipping in every direction each time a bush rustled or owl hooted.

And Sakura logically knew that it wasn't truly sounds that she should be wary of. Nin were taught to be silent after all. If anything, the sounds of the wildlife should have been reassuring. But it was all so unfamiliar, that anxiety carved a home for itself between her hunched shoulder blades.

By the time Kakashi's murmured voice informed her that her watch was over, Sakura didn't know how exactly she would manage to sleep. She felt _wired_. But she knew that she would need her fair share of sleep for tomorrow, so she dutifully shook Naruto awake.

" _Wha_ -" Naruto half slurred, his sleep dulled eyes blearily blinking at her.

"Its your turn to take watch," Sakura whispered, mindful of their other sleeping teammate.

Naruto groaned loudly and rolled over in his sleeping bag, back facing her.

Sakura huffed silently and shot his wrapped up form a nasty glare.

"You just get ready for bed Sakura-chan, I'll wake Naruto up," Kakashi said.

Sakura nodded, and moved behind a nearby tree to change into her pajamas. She let the darkness swallow her smirk as she heard Naruto sharp squeal at whatever Kakashi had done to properly rouse him from his dreams. She bypassed the blonde boy, watching as he rubbed at his stomach, while shooting Kakashi a venomous glare, and climbed into the sleeping bag next to Sasuke.

But once she settled in, the sounds of the night once again felt overly loud. Her eyes darted back and fourth from Naruto's quietly grumbling form, to Kakashi's sprawled out still one. Unease raced through her mind for a moment. She had never before slept so close to someone that wasn't her mother. And while she trusted her safety with her team, it still felt odd to be at her most vulnerable around them. Sleeping amongst men whose inner thoughts could be just as vile as- Sakura shook her head sharply.

 _They weren't like that_. Like him.

And with that oddly comforting thought, her green eyes shut, and somehow sleep crept upon her, lulling her into a world of dreams.

 _Her hands and feet were bound to the metal chair with thick abrasive ropes._ _Chakra restraints._ And _try as she might, nothing was going to break these bounds- her limbs were already chaffed and bleeding from trying. But sitting around and doing nothing while waiting for_ him _to come back was worse._

 _Green eyes frantically darted around, taking into the dank and dripping stone room for what felt like the millionth time. There was nothing to even hint at her location. No window- no special type of mineral. Nothing to indicate the time of day even._

 _The loud creaking of a heavy door being opened behind her caused the young girl to stiffen. Cold waves of fear washed down her spine, but she swallowed back her trepidation. Even if she was terrified, she had to be strong._

 _"How are you liking your accommodations so far, Sakura-chan?" a deep and heavily accented voice asked her._

 _Every muscle in her body tensed even more as she heard the man speak. Her head darted to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of him, but he remained free from her peripherals._

 _"Still not feeling chatty? I suppose that's something that I must admire about you Leaf nin- you're loyal," the voice continued. And judging by the different area it came from, the man was pacing._

 _"If only I knew about you from the start. Our village could use a shinobi like you. And now that you're here and have such_ interesting _gifts, we aren't keen on letting you leave. You understand right?"_

 _Her throat tightened. She wanted to scream at this faceless man. She wanted to yell at him about how she would escape! Her team would find her! She would return to Konoha and keep getting stronger. She would_ never _be a traitor to her village!_

 _A startled yell escaped from her throat as a large hand gripped her pink hair and tugged until her head was yanked backwards._

 _Viridian eyes met viridian eyes._

 _"Come on Sakura-chan, won't you tell you're dear old dad what he wants to know?"_

Sakura's eyes shot open, and she wrenched herself up in her sleeping bag, chest heaving and fingers grasping for her nearby weapons.

When the fire crackled her head snapped up to notice both Sasuke and Kakashi staring at her, eyes wide.

"Ah Sakura-chan, I see you are an early riser," Kakashi stated, trying to dissipate the awkward silence.

Early riser was putting it lightly as blackness still hung around the forest. But the birds loudly chirping indicated that the sun should be making it ascent soon.

"Yeah," Sakura absently agreed, her mind staunchly trying to cling to the last remnants of her dream- and the man she saw in it. The man who was- she shook her head. It was just a dream. There was no way that the man staring in it was actually her father.

She didn't think she could handle the disappointment if he was. She already had two less than desirable parents; adding some fictional representation of a man that she only thought of in a curious sort of detachment to the mix was less than desirable. Besides, she was doing jus fine on her own.

"Why don't you try an catch some more rest," Kakashi said, his lone eye peering at her intently. "It's going to be a long and busy day today."

Sakura nodded, but as she snuggled deeper into her sleeping bag she knew that the sandman wouldn't visit her any more that night. She felt wired. Awake and ready to plot, train, or jump into action. Her foot twitched a nervous rhythm that she couldn't quite quell.

Inhaling deeply, she decided that meditation was perhaps the only thing that could calm her nerves. That and she had been putting it off for far too long.

Her breathing steadied, and furrowed brow smoothed as Sakura slowly retreated within herself. A weight lifted off of her shoulders as she noticed her thick chakra stems were glowing brighter than ever. The web that they weaved throughout her body had grown even more intricate. She was becoming _stronger_.

She even noticed that Kakashi's revelation about the chakra cluster surrounding her throat was true. It _was_ larger than her core chakra. Where most of her chakra glowed with different colors, the chakra centered on her voice box was a rich vibrant red. Hot and humming, ready to be used. It was why she had always suspected she would be a fire user- her main chakra seemed to reflect the substance perfectly. Nothing like ice and its frigid stiffness.

But just as a smile was beginning to curve on her lips, Sakura felt it.

 _The darkness_.

The pulsing black mass of every negative emotion she had felt since becoming a genin. She was still harboring it. All of the fear, disgust, hatred, and horror. All of her pain and misery was tied up in this cloud of poisonous suffering. She had done a good job of burying it. So good of job that it was hard to detect, especially since it was residing far away from her conscious mind. But it was still there- eating away at her.

Sakura huffed, completely at a loss for what to do. How did one exercise themselves of their own negativity? How should she purge this tumor of the soul?

"Time to get up lazy bones!" Naruto's loud voice shouted, immediately rousing her.

She caught Naruto's hand before he could attempt to shake her away. She was tempted to snap at him to respect her personal boundaries, but his lighthearted laughter stopped her.

Rising from her sleeping bag, Sakura grabbed her pack and disappeared behind some neighboring trees to change into her clothing. The forest was slightly cooler than the village typically was, so she donned her longer pants and a thick grey shirt. Winding her pink locks into a braid and securing her forehead protector, Sakura felt more ready for the day. But her thoughts still remained in disarray.

Breakfast was eaten quickly and then they were off again, Kakashi leading them through the winding woods. This time there was no shuriken practice though, as Kakashi announced that they were closer to their destination.

The southern forest was beautiful. The trees were thinner and wildflowers bloomed abound. Meadows filled with long grasses produced heady perfumes that tickled Sakura's nose in the best possible way. Sakura stopped her perusal though when she noticed Kakashi crouched down in front of a delicate indigo flower.

"Do you see this plant?" he asked the three of them as they crowded around. "Tiny and delicate- its one of the most deadly plants in Fire Country."

Sakura's brows inched closer to her hairline as her sensei fingered the plant with bare hands.

"It's called Beautiful Death. Not only because of its beauty, but also because of the way it kills a person. When the petals are ground into a powder and inhaled, they cause the victim to hallucinate while slowly shutting off their internal organs. Just one single petal can take down a grown man."

Sakura gazed at the little flower with interest. It was strange how even in nature such a small fragile flower could be so deadly.

"But that's not what we are looking for right?" Sasuke questioned.

"Correct. We are not scouting for poisons today, but for medicinal herbs."

Kakashi withdrew a scroll from his pouch. On it was a drawing of five different plants. "These are used in various healing elixirs and pastes. We are going to split up and gather each of them. Naruto, you take the Fenway plant," he said pointing to a large spindly plant. "Sasuke, you take Melaji plant," he said pointing to a smaller herb. "And Sakura, you take the Ildgrid flower," he announced pointing to a small yellow flower. "I will find the other two. Split up, but do not venture too far from one another. I don't want us encountering any rogue nin _or_ wildlife."

Each of them nodded, and Sakura hitched her pack up higher on her back before accepting Kakashi's short scroll describing the plant. She decided to head west, knowing a small stream lied in wait. The plants would flourish better in softer soil.

After parting ways with her teammates, Naruto's loud voice slowly being swallowed by the distance, Sakura once again let herself enjoy the outdoors. The melancholy mood that had clung to her since the morning was slowly evaporating with the forest's embrace.

How could one stay sullen with the bright sunlight streaming through, casting an emerald light on the trees? The birds chirped their merry songs and animals rustled about their daily lives. This mission felt like a _vacation_.

Once she had walked a good distance west, Sakura could hear the quiet trickling of a stream. Her footsteps picked up until she reached a small clearing where the stream lay running. And all amongst these banks of it yellow ildgrid flowers sprouted.

Shrugging off her pack, Sakura bent down and reached for her kunai. She gathered a small bunch and severed them by the root, making sure not to waste the potent part. She meticulously placed her gatherings into a storage pocket in her pack. But as she remained crouched on the ground, another bright color caught her eye.

Looking up Sakura spotted a single blooming Beautiful Death. It felt as if her mind went blank as approached the deadly flower.

But as her finger stroked one of the velvet petals, clarity hit her. It was poisonous, but Kakashi hadn't mentioned it being illegal. And although he pointed it out to them in a cautionary way, Sakura couldn't help but doubt her sensei's intentions. How could she _not_ covet it after his speech?

And as her kunai bit through the stem, Sakura finally noticed what she should have realized immediately. The forest was silent- completely still. _Unnaturally_ so. Apart from the bubbling of the stream, no birds sung or creatures rustled. They sensed what she had not- a bigger predator was present.

She was no longer _alone_.

The enemy's chakra that had been so carefully hidden descended upon her immediately, its killing intent bearing down on her more forcefully than any weight or weapon could.

Sakura whirled around and brought up her kunai, shielding her face from the oncoming shuriken. Breathing heavily, her green eyes focused in on the tall form of the man in front of her.

"Quick little thing, aren't you?" he asked, cocking his head at her.

Sakura stayed silent and observed him. He wasn't wearing a forehead protector, but the intensity of his chakra established him as a nin. He had long ash grey hair, tied behind his back and black oval glasses perched over onyx eyes. Overall he looked to be more of a scholar than a shinobi. But Sakura knew better than anyone that appearances could be deceiving.

"Who knew that someone like you would be tucked away in _Leaf_ of all places," he said with a cluck of his tongue.

Confusion may have been prominent in her mind, but she didn't allow it to show on her face.

"Quiet too… That's okay- Kita told me all about you," the man said, languorous steps bringing him nearer. Sakura tensed with every inch lost between them.

"Who are you?" she finally spat out.

"Lets just say I'm here on behalf of an interested party," the man stated, a strange smile stretching across his cracked lips.

"An interested party?"

"My master is just so fascinated in what you could turn into," he breathed, excitement racking through his body.

" _Sakura_ ," a voice yelled.

She watched as Sasuke jumped down from a tree, his body immediately shielding hers.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun, its so nice of you to join us," the man stated, his grin turning into a wide smile.

"Who are you?" Sasuke snarled.

"Oh, I'm sure the two of you will get to know me very well in due time," he said.

And before Sakura could blink, the man had thrown another barrage of shuriken at them.

She ducked down, using her kunai to deflect any stray ones. Grasping the ones on the ground, Sakura rolled and let his own weapons fly back at him with deadly intent. She whipped her head around just in time to see Sasuke do the same. But what the boy hadn't noticed was a stray shuriken headed straight for his side.

" _Sasuke, get down_!" Sakura screamed, her chakra pulsing hotly.

She watched in semi-relief as her teammate threw himself to the ground, the shuriken sailing over him.

Hysterical laughter directed her attention back to the grey haired nin though.

"That was amazing, absolutely amazing Sakura-chan! Oh my master is going to _love_ you!"

His laughter was abruptly cut off as Kakashi-sensei came crashing through the brush.

Kakashi took one look at the shuriken scattered around before his hands were quick in making signs. Sakura gripped her weapon at the ready as lightening made the air grow thick. She watched as the palm of Kakashi's hand glowed blue as he ran at the foreign nin.

But before he could make his mark, the bespectacled man disappeared, a substituted log in his place.

Sakura felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on its end, and whirled around, her kunai lashing out at him. The man dodged her slash, and Sakura felt thick metal sink into the flesh at her side. She looked down and saw dark crimson immediately bloom through her grey shirt. She pitched over to the side, compensating for her shaken balance.

The man lifted his bloody shuriken to briefly inspect, and adopted a smile that no sane person would ever wear. "Thanks for this," he whispered, before smoking out of existence.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Thank you so much for your feedback and comments about my trilogy idea. I definitely think thats where this is headed. Also about the romance, I agree with a lot of you. I always found it slightly strange that 12 year olds were making some serious love declarations. I understand that they are old enough to be doing other adult things like killing people in Naruto world, but romance just seemed off to me. So that will have to wait quite a while. And while I enjoy writing/reading romance, character development has always been top priority. I loathe when romance stories become more about the romance and less about the actual characters involved (I think thats why I love angst ones so much).**

 **Anyways, let me know what you think about this chapter!**

 **-Nyx**


	18. Anxiety

**Chapter 17: Anxiety**

" _You are so brave_

 _and quiet_

 _I forget you are suffering."_

 _-Ernest Hemingway_

Sakura watched in a numb sort of fascination as the grey material of her shirt rapidly dampened into crimson. The voices of her teammates shouting after the grey haired nin muted as her free hand poked at the rip in her shirt and wound underneath. The skin wasn't jagged like she expected, but cleanly parted.

And unlike her burns there was no instantaneous pain, just heady awe as she felt more blood trickle down her hip in a steady rivulet. Her vision briefly spun.

 _Shock_.

She was in shock. It was a dangerous state to be in. It may have dulled the pain, but it also dulled the rest of her senses. Senses that she needed to be on high alert when enemy nin were clearly lurking close by.

" _Sakura_!" Kakashi's masked face came into her line of vision. And judging from his tone he must have been calling her name for a while.

His wide palm gripped her shoulder and gently guided her to the ground. Once she was firmly planted against the trunk of a tree, Kakashi calmly tore the rip in her shirt until it reached the hem. Her heartbeat increased at the noise. Cool air hit her exposed side, puckering the rest of her skin into goosebumps.

"How much does it hurt Sakura-chan?"

She looked up to see her other two teammates studying her with blatant worry. Naruto's wide blue eyes kept darting between her bloody flesh and her face. Sasuke, on the other hand kept his eyes fixed on her own.

"It doesn't hurt at all," she calmly answered.

Kakashi softly cursed as she uttered this. The boys both inched closer in alarm, as Sakura's hazy eyes sought out the lone one of her sensei.

"Is it poisoned?" she questioned.

She didn't _feel_ poisoned. But some poisons worked like that. Masking normality as they slowly killed you. And poisons were an area that she had never really read up on, as she always tended to focus on jutsus. Aside from the Beautiful Death, Sakura didn't know much about them beyond what the Academy had briefed them on.

"No, not poisoned, but I will need to stitch you up. And it _will_ hurt," Kakashi answered.

Leaning further against the tree, Sakura watched as her teammates scrambled to obey Kakashi-sensei's barked orders to fetch various medical supplies from his pack. And when everything was spread out, their silver haired sensei beckoned the two boys closer as he threaded the needle.

"Watch and learn. This is an important skill that could save your comrades' life one day," he stated.

Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about being used as their practice dummy, especially since she didn't have the greatest view. And it was _her_ skin they were intently studying. But she made no complaints as the cleansing cloth wiped some of the drying blood away from the gash.

And then she felt the sting. The painful, yet necessary burn of alcohol hitting her flesh and blood, and killing off any sort of infection.

"If you feel like you are about to bite your lip or tongue, let me know and I can give you something to bite down on," Kakashi said, as his hand holding the needle came closer.

"I'm fine," Sakura said between clenched teeth. She avoided her teammates eyes as tears welled in her own while the needle threaded through her skin. It was an odd and painful sensation, but altogether not the worst pain she had ever felt. Still, fresh blood was welling, and her entire left side felt hot and throbbing.

"You are doing so well Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered.

"You should be a nurse," she bit out, as the thread pulled taut, "you have an excellent bedside manner."

Both Kakashi and Naruto laughed, and had she been looking, Sakura would have caught Sasuke's small smile too.

"All done," Kakashi announced. "We just need to add a bandage."

Naruto handed the man some gauze and Sakura awkwardly lifted the other side of her shirt higher so her sensei could wrap it around her waist. She remained perfectly still until he finished.

Sasuke passed her the other clean shirt from her pack and she ducked behind a tree to change into it. Her side stung as she lifted her arms, but it was manageable.

"Sakura-chan, what did that man say to you?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

She avoided her sensei's eye as she thought back to the man's malevolent chakra descending upon her. _Why_ did these situations keep happening to her? Was she not being careful enough? Was she putting herself in danger or being too reckless? Because the only other explanation for a genin being caught in the woods with missing nin twice now was bad luck. And Sakura despised the thought that 'destiny' was somewhere out there controlling her life.

She thought back to the missing nin's words-

 _'Who knew that someone like you would be tucked away in Leaf of all places,'_ and _'that's okay- Kita told me all about you.'_

Her spinning mind froze on those last words. She _knew_ that name. It was a name that her bloodshot eyes had frantically roamed over amidst the musty stacks of bingo books in the Shinobi Library. _Kita_ Marai was Black Spider. And this new mysterious missing nin knew her.

"Sensei- the man, he knew Black Spider. He must be an associate!"

Her eyes darted over to Sasuke- what if the two were secretly planning to kidnap him?

"Slow down, Sakura-chan, and explain from the beginning. You were searching for the plant I assigned you, I presume…" Kakashi calmly stated.

Sakura inhaled deeply and exhaled after a moment, trying to calm her racing heart and steady her frantic mind.

"I had found-" she thought about mentioning the Beautiful Death, but decided it was best not to, 'my flowers and just put them in my bag when I noticed the stillness of the forest. The man's chakra bore down on me pretty suddenly," she explained.

"Did he say why he was there?" Sasuke asked, beating Kakashi to it.

Sakura's pink brows furrowed. For as much as the man had rambled, he never _truly_ stated what his intentions were.

"He said he was surprised that someone like me was from Konoha, and that Black Spider had told him about me. _I don't know what interesting things she would have to tell,_ " Sakura mumbled the last bit.

Because Kita Mirai had made it abundantly clear when she had attacked them on that 'D' ranked mission that she was there for information on Sasuke. And more importantly on his potential sharingan.

The man with the grey hair _had_ seem overly pleased when Sasuke had also shown up too though. It seemed as though her dark haired teammate _was_ in even more danger than she had initially expected. But the missing nin's words also implied that she had perhaps caught the attention of the wrong sort of people too.

 _'Lets just say I'm here on behalf of an interested party. My master is just so fascinated in what you can turn into.'_

"He has a master that is interested in me," Sakura said, eyes clouded as she thought back to his impish smile. She then turned her attention back to Kakashi. He was staring at her with a strange intensity. "That's when Sasuke showed up," she finished.

Looking up to where Sasuke was standing, she found that he too was gazing at her with a strange look in his eyes. Naruto on the other hand seemed to be completely horrified.

"Two crazy missing nins are after my teammates!" he exclaimed loudly. "On 'D' ranked missions," he continued, sounding slightly hysterical. "The old man Hokage is never going to give us any cool missions if this keeps happening!"

Sasuke scoffed, Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, and Sakura rolled her eyes. The tension had seemingly been broken by Naruto's callus, yet caring words.

"I will have a talk with the Hokage when we get back about what has been occurring with outside interests in my genin. But I do expect us to be grounded to Konoha for a little while," Kakashi stated, rising to his feet.

Naruto groaned, and Sakura felt her heart sink.

She was having such an amazing time reveling in the freedom the wilderness provided before that missing nin showed up. She had wanted to become a great shinobi, travel around the world, and have enemies tremble in fear as they heard her name. But she hadn't quite expected to make such impressive enemies at such an unimpressive age.

"I hope the three of you had a chance to collect your flowers because we have no time for lingering now." Kakashi stated. "Naruto, carry Sakura's pack."

Sakura had expected Naruto to grumble about the extra weight, but his lips remained sealed as he shouldered her pack.

Her hip protested as she arched against the tree trunk and pushed with her legs to stand up. The threaded skin stretched uncomfortably underneath her bandage, but she dare not flinch. Like Naruto shouldering her pack, she needed to learn how to shoulder the pain. There were worse injuries in the world, and without a doubt there would be worse injuries in her future. Building a pain tolerance would be beneficial. Perhaps she should thank the nameless nin…

She thought back to the last moment before he disappeared. His weapon had bit into her flesh with such speed that Sakura hadn't even recognized her injury until her shirt was wet with blood. And then he was holding up his bloodstained shuriken and inspecting it with a maniacal grin.

 _"Thanks for this_ ," he had said.

But what exactly had he been thanking her for? She furrowed her brows as she silently marched over the terrain, her side throbbing. He couldn't have been thanking her for their meeting- _he_ had clearly arranged it after all. And she hadn't spilled any pertinent details about herself or Konoha to him.

She bit down hard on her lip as another possibility popped into mind. Perhaps he was thanking her for making it so easy on him? For easily falling into his trap, and then even more easily getting injured… Such a pathetic excuse for a nin that she couldn't even dodge properly.

…But it wasn't her injury he was focused on- it was his shuriken… his shuriken that was stained with her _blood_.

 _Odd_. But then again, most shinobi were. Perhaps it was a fetish of sorts? She had heard all sorts of rumors about the strange habits and pedilections that nin developed, especially the ones deeply involved in the darker side of shinobi life.

She shook her head- there was no use dwelling on the man right now. Her lack of information on him would lead to no concrete answers. She would have to wait until she was back in Konoha to look him up.

Hours passed as they moved through the forest. The pain in her side was a constant throbbing that she quickly grew accustomed to. She didn't say a word of complaint though, as she could sense Kakashi's urgency.

"How are you feeling?"

Sakura turned to see Naruto's blue eyes earnestly peering at her. One of the straps of her pack was beginning to dig into his shoulder causing him to slouch slightly.

"I'm okay," Sakura quietly replied, knowing that both their sensei and Sasuke could hear her.

"It's not painful?" Naruto asked, a blonde brow quirked in question.

Sakura shrugged in response and immediately regretted it. Her side burned anew. "Probably about as much as your palm."

"My palm?"

"You cut it yesterday on a shuriken."

Naruto's mouth gaped open, "You're comparing one tiny cut on my hand to that giant wound! _Sakura-chan_ , that's totally different! You looked like you had lost about half the blood you had in you!"

Sakura grimaced. She may have changed her shirt, but dried blood still clung to her skin and pants. Nothing but a shower could cure that. And with the way things had gone about this morning, she doubted that Kakashi-sensei would let them stop at a stream. He was already encouraging them to go at a faster pace than they had approached the forest with. And Sakura strongly suspected that had she not been injured, he would have had them flat out running back to the village.

"I'm a little uncomfortable, but its nothing I can't handle," she calmly replied.

Naruto furrowed his brow and Sakura half expected him to protest again, but he must have sensed her stubbornness. His lips remained sealed, and he once again focused on the trail.

More hours passed and soon darkness drew the shadows longer, until the entire path was shrouded in blackness.

"Are we stopping for the night, or continuing all the way back to the village Kaka-sensei?" Naruto questioned.

"We will stop here for the night. I want us all to get a good rest, as we will have an early morning. Sakura, your bandage needs to be changed, too," Kakashi replied.

Sakura slumped her weight against the nearest tree, her breath slightly ragged. The pace their sensei had kept them at would normally not even have winded her, but her side was vehemently protesting against the pace. She was thankfully they were in the woods right now, away from anything that could show her her reflection, as she was sure it was not a pretty sight.

And after the boys set up camp, with Sasuke once again darting around the perimeters of camp to gather firewood, Kakashi approached her with another roll of gauze.

"How are you holding up?"

She thought about smiling, but knew the effect would be instantly transparent. But still, she couldn't have her sensei think her weak.

"It's manageable," she decided on.

Kakashi's mask tipped up in a sure sign of an underlying smirk. "You're always so poised Sakura-chan. I've yet to see you lose your cool."

Sakura thought back to that first training exercise where Sasuke had pinned her and she snapped hysterically; to being wild eyed, while being questioned in Kakashi's apartment; to being shocked and horrified at seeing Ito Yori's body buried in his garden. She had been anything but cool in those moments.

"Perhaps my sensei is wearing off on me," she replied.

Kakashi's muffled chuckle rang out into the air as he took his time unwrapping her previous bandage. Cool air hit her skin and felt divine against the hot tenderness of the stitched flesh. But when Kakashi's cool finger poked at her side, Sakura couldn't help but tense up.

It was stupid, and pointless. She had long since realized that she _trusted_ this man. But it was an automatic response. Especially since his hand was hovering by such vulnerable flesh.

Kakashi didn't show any react to her skidishness though. He simply applied more salve and rewrapped the wound. But Sakura couldn't help but noticed how his hands avoided any more direct contact with her skin. It was a blessing. It was a _curse_.

"Since the boys have been doing all the heavy lifting today, why don't you help me make dinner?" Kakashi questioned, after rolling her shirt back down over the bandage.

And although it was the kind of stereotypical role that she would normally scorn, Sakura could only be grateful that she would have some usefulness.

"Sure."

She parked herself at the campfire that Sasuke had started and began dividing up the various food rations, and Naruto's ramen cups. And once everything was passed around, everyone greedily took their share and gulped it down in silence.

Even the night around them seemed quiet. The noises of the forest were there, but they seemed somewhat muted. A quiet stillness that echoed the contemplation that was going on in her teammate's minds.

But for Sakura the exact opposite was happening. The cloak of silence that hung around the forest unsettled her- just like this morning it felt like the calm before the storm. And she was in no great condition to weather anything right now.

"Naruto, you take first watch; Sasuke, take second, and Sakura, you take last watch." Kakashi announced after all the food had disappeared.

Everyone dug out their sleeping bags without question or complaint. Sakura could only feel grateful that she wasn't on first watch. Despite her unease, her eyelids felt like lead. She gathered her pajamas and ducked behind the nearest tree to pull them on. Emerging from behind the brush, she quickly crawled into her sleeping bag and dutifully tried to ignore everything else around her.

And as she drifted off into sleep, Sakura only hoped she wouldn't have to dream about paternal imposters again. And for once, it seemed as if someone was listening to her prayers, and deep dreamless sleep embraced her.

Hours later, Sakura felt her pillow being tugged out from underneath her. Her skull met the unforgiving earth, and she turned to scowl at whoever was disrupting her. Groggy green eyes glared at her dark haired teammate.

"Its you're turn for watch," Sasuke stated, unimpressed with her venomous stare.

She resisted the urge to grumble as she emerged from her sleeping bag, and slipped on her nin boots.

"Did you have to wake me up like _that_?"

Sasuke shrugged, and looked away, "I thought it would be better than shaking you."

Grabbing her weapons pouch, Sakura conceded. Her reaction probably would have been much worse if he had shaken her. She nodded her head, and waited for him to crawl into his vacant sleeping bag. But Sasuke remained still, his face shrouded in darkness. Somehow Sakura instinctually knew he was watching her.

"What is it?" she questioned from her place by the fire.

"We need to talk."

Somehow those words sounded terrifying. Probably because no conversation that ever followed them was ever considered good.

He stepped closer to the fire, and the dim light illuminated his features. His eyes were flinty as he stared her down. "What did you do to me?"

Sakura cocked her head in confusion, "Excuse me?"

Sasuke moved even closer, and lowered his voice, "When we were facing off against that nin, you did _something_ to me!"

Sakura leaned back to preserve an ounce of her personal space. Her eyes darted form Sasuke's hard accusing ones, to his clenched fists.

"Have you gone mad? I have no idea what you're talking about!" she quietly insisted.

The scowl on his face grew deeper. "That man threw shuriken, and you _yelled_ at me to get down. And next thing I know, my body is being flung to the ground. It was as if someone had _pushed_ me."

Sakura's mind raced at his words. She thought back to that morning. The weapons were flying through the air, headed straight for Sasuke. He hadn't noticed them, and she had felt a burning desperation overcome her. The chakra around her throat had pulsed hotly as she had screamed the words _'get down.'_

She hadn't had the time or presence of mind to consider that Sasuke's body ducking to the ground hadn't been out of his own instincts, but _her_ own.

But that- that didn't make _any_ sense…

She met his eyes, confusion swimming in her own.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, what did you do to me?"

She chewed her lip as her thoughts whirled. Images of similar, but oh so different incidents flashed around her brain. "I don't know."

Sasuke's scowl seemed to hesitate, as if he was unsure of her sincerity. He opened his mouth, but after a moment closed it again. With a shake of his raven head, he turned his back to her and climbed into the sleeping bag.

Sakura watched as her teammate lay unnaturally still with feigned sleep, and considered his words. She hadn't put much stock to anything other than the grey haired nin from the morning.

And no matter how hard she thought about it, it _didn't_ make sense. There were plenty of special jutsus that could bend a person to your will- hidden/forbidden or ocular justsus. But Sakura wasn't aware of any hidden or forbidden ones. And she _knew_ she didn't have any ocular powers- Kakashi-sensei would have already informed her if she did.

…But could she perhaps have something else? Kakashi had mentioned that she had an unusal cluster of chakra in her throat. And all of these strange incedents _did_ seem to be related to her voice while under duress. Kakashi had also questioned whether or not her mother had a bloodlimit…

Sakura frowned as she stared into the dancing flames of the campfire. _If_ her mother had a bloodlimit, than there was almost a zero percent chance of her telling her about it. Her mother practically turned into a mute every time her past was brought up.

She poked at a log in the fire, watching the ashes crumble. But Kakashi's question didn't make any sense either. All shinobi that possessed bloodlimits were registered within their hidden village. These documents were kept under high security, but they still existed. That way the Hokage would know how dire a situation was if a shinobi was captured in enemy territory with a potential Konoha weapon.

Sakura sighed- there was no use musing over bloodlimits. As far as she knew, she didn't have one, and Sasuke was just exaggerating.

As the morning light rose, Kakashi woke the boys up early and passed them all a quick meal of rations before they were swiftly off again. The last stretch to Konoha was made in practically a sprint, and Sakura's body was feeling the full effects of her injury. Every stride of her legs or pump of her arms caused her side to throb in agony.

Not a breath could be spared for chatter, even for Naruto. And Sakura was too tired to care or even pay attention to Sasuke's demeanour.

When they finally reached the gates, she was fully panting. Kakashi walked up to the two guards, handing them a scroll.

"You okay Sakura- chan?" Naruto questioned, eyes full of worry.

"I've been better," she weezed, clutching her side.

"Do you want me to help you get home?"

Sakura winced as she thought of the reception _Naruto_ of all people would get from her family. Hell, they would look down on Sasuke, who was pratically shinobi royalty.

"No, thank you. I should be fine."

Naruto's shoulders instantly drooped, and Sakura felt guilt tug at her insides. Naruto no doubt knew her reasoning. He may be oblivious to many things, but he wasn't to how poorly people of the village treated him.

"I don't want them to think me weak," she quietly said, the lie easily falling off her lips.

Weak or strong, the Haruno clan wouldn't care what kind of shinobi she was. Of course failing would be dishonorable, but shinobi politics in general were dishonorable to them. No matter how she turned out as a nin, it would never be something they were proud of.

But still, her excuse lifted Naruto's sullen cheeks.

"Well, I hope you feel better," he earnestly replied.

Sakura's green eyes swept towards Sasuke. He was pointedly looking off in the other direction. She internally sighed, in both annoyance and dismay. She didn't have the patience for her dark haired teammate's sulleness concerning mysteries about her own life that she was ignorant of herself.

She straightened slightly as Kakashi beckoned them forward through the gate.

"We will meet at the usual time tomorrow on the bridge," Kakashi's lacksidasical voice instructed.

"What about missions?" Sasuke questioned.

Kakashi shrugged, "I will have to inform the Hokage about the missing nin, and see what he says. But for now we will continue training. Remember, I want to see better skills with shuriken before I show you any jutsus."

All three of their shoulders slumped, and the three parted ways, a somber mood hanging between them.

Sakura trudged home, the stiches beneath her bandage itching. She thought the last few weeks of being placed on Team Seven and how extraordinary it was that she was alive _at all_. She had faced off against missing nin of supreme caliber and not only lived, but survived with relatively minor wounds. She couldn't decide if she was either blessed or cursed.

But as she reached the door to her house, Sakura's brows furrowed. There were loud voices coming from inside. That was strange- her father usually never liked company. He liked to keep the shameful females of his life behind closed doors.

Sakura opened the door and froze. Her father was seated on a chair, while her mother was pouring tea. And on the chair facing opposite her was a woman wearing a scarlet red kimono. And if that wasn't enough to give it away, than the elegant silver braid tied at her nape was.

"Ah, I see the mongrel is home right in time for the festival," Grandmother Satomi's haughty voice drawled. "Such a _shame_ …"

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took so long to get out, but life has been hectic, and every time I sat down to write, I just couldn't get the words flowing. Please accept my virtual grovelling for forgiveness!**

 **Normally I don't like to address comments or concerns that reviewers leave for me. I like to let those questions be answered through the story. But there have been a consistent few that I feel like I need to answer:**

 **1\. You are giving Sakura a lot of 'special powers' and approaching Mary Sue territory.**

 **My answer to this question is that a lot of you are making assumptions based on little breadcrumbs I have placed in the story. And as much as I love hearing your theories, a lot of them are very off base for what I have planned. Just because things _seem_ a certain way, doesn't mean they _are_. I have only given Sakura one concrete extra power than she had in the show/manga. And I may even take away from certain abilities that she had before too. So I wouldn't worry about her turning into this 'all powerful goddess like being.' And also, to me Mary Sue is when you have an all-powerful person with no real issues. Their personality is perfect, their looks are perfect, their abilities are kick-ass, and their loved by all- the only issues are artificial. My Sakura is a bit of a mess, so I don't really consider her to be Mary Sue-like in that respect either. **

**2\. How come Kakashi hasn't done anything about Sakura's situation? He clearly knows something is up!**

 **In the original Naruto, I always got the feeling that a lot of 'turn the other cheek' happened. Naruto practically grows up on the street being harassed, and the Hokage is the only one that is remotely kind to him. Sasuke is allowed to live on his own after his family's massacre, with no counselling. Hinata's family flat out bully her, and no one does anything! So I feel like what happens behind closed doors stays that way. Family business stays int he family, and outsiders don't really interfere. Kakashi may notice something is going on, and offer Sakura an out, but I doubt he would interfere unless she openly confesses.**

 **All other questions, you're just going to have to wait and see!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think! I would love to know what your favourite part of this chapter was!**

 **-Nyx**


	19. Death Threats and Dilemmas

**Chapter 18: Death Threats and Dilemmas**

" _You are terrifying,_

 _and strange,_

 _and beautiful,_

 _something not everyone_

 _knows how to love."_

 _\- Warsan Shire_

"Sit up straight. With every inch you slouch, I lose sight of your plotting mongrel face!"

Sakura suppressed her tired sigh as she reluctantly straightened her spine and held back a wince at the painfully tugging of her stitches.

"Nothing spells bad breading more than a lack of manners. Poor posture is a sure sign that you are a horrid little commoner, and not a lady," Grandmother Satomi continued ranting. "And don't get me started on that Kami- awful hair…"

Sakura tuned the elderly woman out and pushed a carrot around her plate. She didn't feel particularly hungry, but she also recognized the fact that she was between a particularly difficult rock and hard place.

If she didn't eat now, she would be hungry come nightfall- and she could practically see the spittle flying from her raving grandmother's mouth if she even dared to step foot in the kitchen after dinner time. But the already repetitious insults coupled with her throbbing side were doing a fantastic job at dulling her appetite.

All Sakura wanted to do was go to bed. To fall into a blissful slumber and forget her tender wound, her aggravated teammate, the thousands of questions whizzing around in her mind. And perhaps when she would awake tomorrow this would all be one big, bad dream. Ever-disapproving Grandmother Satomi, sharply accusing Sasuke, and troubling chakra would all be gone.

"Next thing you know she'll be coming home with great ugly bruises on her face, or even worse, collecting scars! What will the neighbors think?"

A wince made it passed her lips as Sakura tried to subtly shift in her seat. And just like a hawk, Grandmother Satomi noticed it instantly.

"What's wrong with you now, girl? Can't even appreciate the food that's being wasted on your sorry presence?" Grandmother Satomi drawled, her dark eyes keen on Sakura's stiff figure. "Unless, you are _injured_ ," the word came out like a purr.

Having a facial injury would be painful enough in itself, but what was more devastating to her grandmother was that it would be _ugly_. And ugly was unacceptable. But having some other hidden ailment that tormented her was perfectly acceptable- even a source of amusement.

Still, Sakura remained quiet. No matter what her response or rebuttal would be, her grandmother would consider it insolence, or twist it into something terribly misconstrued. No matter how much it grated on her pride and bit at her self- restraint, she knew better than to talk back.

"I've seen those ugly nin women. Most of them have faces that not even a mother could love, and they try and make up for it by _exposing_ themselves. Why, on the way here I spotted on that looked like she belonged on a street corner! _Disgusting creatures_!" Grandmother Satomi said all of this while keeping her eyes firmly fixed on Sakura's face.

The fuse to her temper felt like it was getting shorter and shorter. Sakura wasn't sure if it was the fact that she was now old enough to understand all of her grandmother's words and implications, or perhaps her team's outspokenness was rubbing off on her, but her self- restraint was considerably less than what it used to be.

If she didn't excuse herself from the situation soon, than Sakura _knew_ she would do something that she would come to regret later. And while getting kicked out of the house for clocking the old hag in the face may seem worth it now, she wasn't making nearly enough money (especially since missions would be grounded to Konoha) to support herself.

Thankfully, Sakura's seemingly passive exterior was obviously boring the older woman. Satomi's eyes drifted back to her father.

"Oh Kizashi, did you hear the good news?"

"News? What news?"

Grandmother Satomi's lips curled into a genuine smile. And for that small moment Sakura recognized the beauty of her grandmother's face. But even still, seeing the lines in her face stretch with genuine warmth could not make her forget the viper's tongue that lied within.

"Takumi is getting married!"

Sakura watched as her father's smile became slightly strained. She was also aware that her mother and grandmother had more than likely also noticed. But her grandmother's jovial voice continued on anyways.

"I'm just so happy! Takumi is such a bright boy, and I know he wanted to apprentice with you, but Ran simply didn't want him too far away from home. Konoha is such a long way to travel."

Sakura longed to ask her grandmother if the travel from Fire Country's capitol to Konoha was so long, than why did she make the trip so often? But the older woman was too busy gushing about her horrid older cousin.

"…His fiancé is the daughter of a wealthy spice merchant. Her name is Yoko and she is the most _darling_ girl. She had the beautiful auburn hair and the prettiest smile. And Ran has already informed me that her family plans to trade exclusively with us from now on!"

She looked like a cat that had caught a particularly large canary.

"That's won- _wonderful_ mother," her father said with a slight cough.

Grandmother Satomi's eyes narrowed to slits instantly. "Are you incapable of being happy for your nephew? Takumi, who is bringing pride back to our family by marrying a _nice_ girl, after you so thoroughly sullied it with your sham of a marriage to this harlot?"

Sakura darted a glance over to her mother to gauge her reaction, but as always her face was an impenetrable mask.

"Mother, I don't think this talk is quite appropriate for the dinner table. And I know that neither of us like it, but Mebuki is my wife and you should not say such things outright to her," her father said, not quite managing to meet Satomi's eyes.

The glare that her grandmother presented the entire table with was downright glacial. "And why _shouldn't_ I? That wrathful viper," she said, pointing a shaking finger at her mother, "married you and then disappeared off on some mission and came home with a child that so clearly _isn't_ yours! You know this, I know this, and the mongrel knows this!" Satomi thundered.

"Mother, I-"

"-I doubt she even _knows_ who the mutt's real father actually is! Kami knows that she was sent off on so many missions after you were first married, it could be any man from any country!" Satomi ranted, cutting her father off. "I have half of a mind to march straight up to the Hokage and tell him the truth about the mongrel's parentage. I should do that right-"

Sakura's eyes widened as the glass her mother's delicate hand had be holding shattered underneath her white knuckled grip.

Silence descended upon the table as three eyes watched her mother's grip slackened, and jagged pieced of porcelain, some speckled with blood, dropped to the table. Her mother's blue eyes slowly lifted until they met the dark eyes of her grandmother.

Sakura felt a chill run down her spine at the utter coldness radiating from their blue depths. Her grandmother on the other hand did not seem to notice this ominous signal as her lips stretched into a slow smirk.

"Hit a nerve did I? You don't like me talking about your sordid past?" Satomi crooned.

Mebuki delicately wiped the last small shards of the cup off her hands, all the while keeping her gaze locked on the elderly woman. "Your opinion of me or my past does not hold any regard to me." Satomi's smirk fell a little. "However when you drag my daughter into matters you know not of, _that's_ what concerns me."

Her grandmother's mouth twisted into a sneer, "You _dragged_ my son into your matters! You married him, even though you were a kunoichi and then let yourself get knocked up by another man! It would serve you right that I should end this entire farce by telling the Hokage!"

" _Mother,_ the neighbors!"

"Oh, to hell with the neighbors!" her grandmother hissed back at her father. "Besides if we tell the Hokage and word gets out than who cares! You are the _victim_ in all of this! She snared you into a marriage that she wasn't faithful too, and then made you raise her bastard!"

Sakura's eyes darted back to her mother, and she watched as the woman set the now scarlet spotted napkin down. "If you tell the Hokage, or anyone else that Kizashi is not Sakura's father than I will _kill_ you."

Sakura felt all the air in her lungs halt as she struggled to process her mother's words. The stark silence that had abruptly drowned the room confirmed that she was not the only one. Even still, Sakura willed her mother to look at her, to see _what_ exactly was swimming in those blue depths to make her mother say that. She had never _ever_ stood up for her like this before.

Finally Grandmother Satomi spluttered, " _Ex-excuse me_?"

Her mother's eyes were firm as they locked on the older woman, "You heard me. If you breathe a word of this to _anyone_ , I will kill you."

Sakura's eyes darted between her grandmother's face, which was switching from shock to outrage, to her father's pale pensive one.

"How DARE you say that _?_ After we let you and your _disgusting_ child stay in this house with what you did-"

"You may think that I have grown complacent over the last twelve years. But I am still a kunoichi, and I am still very much capable of putting an end to your life if you threaten the safety of my child. Which is exactly what you are doing," Mebuki said, words like ice.

Sakura's mind reeled at this new information. She had always figured that her mother's pregnancy was not exactly sanctioned. But she had figured that her true father was either a criminal, or a shinobi from a warring village. Both things would be frowned upon, but not enough to threaten a life. The only thing that would make a pregnancy fatal, or at least make the risk to your child's life severe, was if you were impregnated with someone who had a… _bloodlimit_.

Sakura's face went pale at the realization. She looked to her mother to confirm every suspicion that she had unknowingly been considering since Kakashi made mention of that odd cluster of chakra in her throat. But her mother's icy gaze was fixed on her grandmother's face.

" _Mebuki_ ," her father's voice rang out. "That's enough!"

And yet still her mother's eyes never strayed form her grandmother.

"Mebuki!" her father called again.

Her mother's head snapped over to her father, "I may have let you say what you wanted to say over the years because I know how unfair this has been to you. I may have withstood your _pathetic_ attempts at punishment for my misdeeds. I am a kunoichi after all, and I can withstand a little pain. But I will not let Sakura suffer for my sins."

And with that last statement, her mother was quickly rising from her chair. And before Sakura could even blink she was being pulled up from her own and dragged out of the room by the woman. She stumbled as her mother tugged her up the stairs and into her room, firmly shutting the door.

Sakura plopped down on her bed and watched with wide eyes as her mother's back slouched against her door, and her eyes wrinkled shut.

There were a million questions and a million words she felt like saying, but her lips remained shut at the outright worried look that crossed her mother's normally blank features.

Finally her mother's face lifted and her blue eyes met Sakura's green.

"I know you have questions. And I know you want to know who _he_ is, but I can't tell you flower. If _anyone_ found out, you would be taken away. Our country could even go to war."

Sakura let the implications sink in. Konoha was not the only country that fiercely guarded the shinobi who held bloodlimits. Hinata had once confided in her that someone had attempted to kidnap her as a child for her byakugan. This incident had proven that other counties not only viscously guarded those special powers, but also coveted ones that others nations had.. If whatever country it was found out that Konoha had a girl with their bloodlimit, especially a _shinobi_ girl, all hell would break loose.

"But mom, something is already there. I can feel it, and I think Kakashi-sensei suspects something," Sakura quietly confessed, choosing her words carefully.

Her mother let out a long sigh, and sunk onto the bed beside her. "This is why I never wanted you to become a shinobi, you know. Because there was only a slight chance that you would develop _his_ bloodlimit. But with training in the shinobi arts, and learning to harness you chakra, the chances would grow. And people would notice."

"I'm sorry," Sakura quietly mumbled. She had never before realized the difficulties her dreams had been putting her mother through. She had simply assumed her mother didn't want her to be a nin because of her own bad experiences.

"Don't be sorry flower," her mother said, hugging her to her side. "It was your dream, and as much as I wanted to keep you sheltered, I knew you had to follow your heart. And besides, I put you through enough keeping you here within this toxic family, the least I could do was let you. But now you know why we have to stay."

And as much as she appreciated truly knowing her mother's reasoning behind everything. As much as she enjoyed the now somewhat solved mysteries of her past, Sakura couldn't help the fact that her heart sank a little at the knowledge that they were to continue staying with the Harunos. That after all the revelations, the solution was to keep living as they always had been.

"What are you going to do about dad?"

Mebuki's face twisted into a sad smile, "Don't you worry about him."

"And grandmother?"

The smile fell, "I don't think we will have to worry about her either."

"What about Kakashi-sensei?"

"What does he know?" Mebuki asked, expression turning calculated.

Sakura thought back to every incident regarding her and her sensei. "There was an incident with a nin. I somehow forced her to stop her interrogation. And he also did a chakra scan of us. He knows that I have an unusual cluster in my throat. He asked if you might have a bloodlimit. But that's it, I think."

She didn't think that telling her mother that Sasuke too had his suspicions was important. Out of the two, Kakashi's opinion would carry more weight if he announced his potential speculations. But still, Sakura felt unnerved as she watched as her mother processed the information.

"So nothing too concrete. Hatake Kakashi was a few years younger than me, but he was always the sort to figure things out for himself before reporting them to higher authorities. He probably hasn't mentioned anything to the Hokage yet."

Her mother fell into silence again, and Sakura dared not look up. This entire night felt like some strange dream or alternate reality. Never in her life had her mother opened up so much to her before. She didn't want to break the spell.

"You will just have to keep a low profile," her mother finally said.

Sakura looked up, eyes incredulous. Sure, it was easy enough to say 'keep a low profile', but she didn't know anything about her bloodlimit, how it was manifesting, or how to control it.

"I know," Mebuki replied to the look on her daughter's face. "But you will have to try your best."

Sakura scoffed, feeling both tired and exhilarated. Now that the biggest shocks of the night seemed to be over, the pain in her side was flaring up again. She sent a sidelong glance to her mother, wondering if the woman would heal her. But her mother had enough to worry about; Sakura didn't want her to fret about the missing nin that were targeting her and Sasuke.

"I know you can't tell me _who_ exactly he is, but can you give me _any_ information at all about this bloodlimit? How am I supposed to try and control it, if I don't know anything about it?"

Her mother's eyes were lost in thought for a moment, before she replied, "I don't know the specifics because like most clans, the details are kept secret. What I know about their bloodlimit is common knowledge, similar to what you would know about the sharingan."

Sakura nodded her understanding. Most clans were like that. Even the kages of their villages were forbidden to know the specifics of a bloodlimit. But still, some knowledge was better than none.

Her mother's brows furrowed, as she seemed to be lost in contemplation. Sakura had to bite her lip to stop herself from prompting her into an explanation. The anticipation was stifling.

"It's called the _sirenum_. Shinobi who develop this bloodlimit are capable of using their chakra as a tool of manipulation. The special chakra in their throat allows them to temporarily 'enchant' their victims."

Sakura could feel her jaw gaping open in what she was sure was an unattractive display, but it seemed like a more than acceptable response considering what she had just been told.

"Enchant?" she questioned, voice incredulous.

Her mother nodded at her solemnly.

"How have I never heard of this before? If people like this exist- people who can for all intents and purposes, manipulate you without the aid of genjutsu, how is every nation not rallying to slaughter the bunch of them?"

Mebuki exhaled sharply, "That's exactly the quandary flower. Most nations _don't_ know a clan with powers like this exist. Unlike the Uchiha or the Hyuga who have very publically used their blood limits, and whose powers show up in a very visible and distinct manner, this clan's doesn't. Most people don't even know when they are under the influence of it."

Sakura thought over this new information. The fact that a clan like that existed within another nation, possibly an _enemy_ nation was terrifying. The fact that she too could contain such overwhelming powers was also more than a little alarming. Perhaps Sasuke had been right all along with his accusation...

"There are whispers," her mother continued, "whispers that I was sent out to confirm. But even I couldn't gather that much information. And then I was pregnant, and had to keep any information I _did_ gather a secret."

All of the other questions whirling around her mind halted at her mother's statement. Hiding information from the country you were sworn to serve essentially made you a traitor. Her mother had not only remained with a family that treated her like scum, but also forfeited her oaths to her village all for _her_. Sakura stared into her mother's ocean blue eyes and couldn't fathom the hardships the woman had to endure to do that.

And to think, she often resented the woman for letting the Harunos treat them the way they did. For being a miserable shell of a person, and giving up her strength and career to a man who would never again look at her with love in his eyes. What she hadn't realized that her mother was suffering _for_ her.

"From what I gathered the sirenum is not infallible," her mother continued, ignorant of the internal guilt her daughter was all of the sudden plagued with. "It is similar to a genjutsu in that if a person realizes that they are under the influence of it, they can break out of whatever command they are under."

"And the Hokage doesn't know about any of this?" Sakura asked, seeking conformation.

Mebuki nodded, "I was on a mission under orders of the Yondaime Hokage at the time. I returned and retired before his death and before anyone could realize that I was pregnant."

 _SMASH_

Both females jumped at what sounded like dinnerware being broken from downstairs.

" _I want those ungrateful bitches out of this house this instant!"_ her grandmother's shrill voice shouted, growing louder with every word.

She could hear her father's much quieter voice respond, but couldn't quite make out his words.

Her mother let out a long suffering sigh, before rising from the bed. She leaned over and planted a crisp kiss on Sakura's forehead. "I know this is a lot to take in, but try to get some sleep flower. And remember, _tell no one_."

Sakura's eyes followed her mother's figure to her door, before she switched off the light, and the room was plunged into darkness. She slumped further into her bedding and let her eyes roam across the ceiling as thoughts chased each other. Thoughts of her mother, thoughts of her bloodlimit, thoughts of Kita Mirai and the grey haired nin. Thoughts on how she was supposed to tell no one.

Except that she was fairly sure that someone already knew.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If its not what you expected, then don't worry because its not what I expected either. But as I was writing it, this is just what flowed out, and I'm pretty happy with it. So my storyboard had to shift a little, but I like the new changes!**

 **Mebuki is one of the most interesting characters I find to write. She is very troubled and flawed. And lets face it, she has made some terrible decisions regarding pretty much everything, but she justifies it as necessary. (and I don't necessarily agree with her!) Sakura's very narrow view of her mother is broadening.**

 **Also I chose the name Sirenum based on the Greek stories of the sirens.**

 **Anyways please review and let me know what you think! And to answer another reoccurring question- yes the Waves storyline will be covered here!**

 **Also if you got like 50 emails of this chapter, sorry! It keeps not showing up when I post!**

 **-Nyx**


	20. Festive Spirit

**Chapter 19: Festive Spirit**

" _There is no_

 _greater agony_

 _than bearing_

 _an untold story_

 _inside you."_

 _-Maya Angelou_

Sakura quietly cursed as she hastily tugged on her nin pants. She had spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to shut down her brain, only to oversleep come morning. And while she doubted that Kakashi-sensei would actually arrive on time to note her extreme tardiness, she hated feeling rushed all the same.

And to make matters worse, Sakura could detect two chakra signatures, along with her own in the house. One was bright and thriving- it belonged to her mother who was still tucked away in her bedroom. The other (more unfortunate) one belonged to her grandmother. And it was parked in the living room, directly across from the front door. No doubt on purpose.

Sakura cast a calculating glance at her bedroom window, but immediately dismissed the thought. Even without her injury it would be risky, as there was only solid earth to cushion her landing. Quickly grabbing her weapons pouch, Sakura straightened her spine and headed downstairs. She couldn't afford to waste any more time.

The scene in the living room was exactly as she expected. Her father was no doubt opening his shop by now, leaving Grandmother Satomi without anyone to gripe at or complain to. The woman's frail body was perched atop a chair, delicately sipping tea.

The moment Sakura entered the room, Satomi's eyes narrowed to slits, watching her approach the front door. And Sakura couldn't help her surprise as the woman's normally venomous lips remained closed. No insult, no hissed warning, no degrading remark… She almost felt _more_ wary at the elderly woman's silence.

But as she slipped through the door, Sakura allowed herself to consider what her father might have said to her grandmother while her and her mother had been upstairs. Did he agree to kick her and her mother out of the house? Did he decide to go to the Hokage after all?

Her heart rate picked up, and Sakura cast a furtive look at her surrounding, almost waiting for ANBU nin to swoop in and take her.

She shook her head- there was no way he would have gone to the Hokage. Because despite how meek and fragile her mother seemed to be, Sakura had glimpsed real fear in her father's eyes when he considered her mother's threat.

But the problem still remained… Grandmother Satomi was not going to be satisfied until her and her mother were stripped of the Haruno name. And though Sakura had no doubt that her mother's death threat had frightened the woman, her stubborn pride would only allow her to be _more_ infuriated. Which could only lead to problems- potentially _public_ problems. The kind of problems that would rouse the interests of neighbors and gossipmongers. The kind of problems that the Hokage could hear about...

She let out a long sigh- what was she going to do?

"Sakura-chan, you're late! I was so worried about you!"

Sakura looked up, startled to see that her musings had taken her to the meeting bridge. She inwardly cursed her lack of awareness as she took in Naruto's worried face.

"I overslept."

"Tch."

Sakura and Naruto both turned to look at their other teammate as the distinctly sarcastic note left his lips.

Sakura was unsurprised to see that her dark haired teammate was seemingly holding a grudge against her. Part of her couldn't even blame him because his accusations had been right after all. She _had_ done something to him the other day in the forest. But the other, much more dominate part wanted to smack Sasuke's uppity face in for being so childish.

Naruto just looked slightly bewildered. Normally any derogatory or less than kind words or actions of Sasuke's were directed towards him.

"Never mind the teme. How are you feeling?" Naruto said, turning his back on the dark haired male.

Sakura watched out of the corner of her eye as Sasuke grit his teeth at his easy dismissal.

"I'm fine. A bit tender, but that's to be expected."

Naruto's eyes darted down to the spot on her shirt that concealed her bandage. "Maybe Kakashi-sensei will go easy on you today..."

Sakura highly doubted it, but she refrained from saying so. She then patiently listened as Naruto prattled on for the next twenty minutes about how he went straight to Ichirakus once they were dismissed yesterday and ate fifteen bowls of ramen. He looked so smugly proud that she couldn't help but grin at him.

Sasuke on the other hand, remained perched on the railing like a hawk. He never once tried engaging the two in conversation. And for probably the first time, Naruto wasn't taking his stony silence as a direct insult against him.

Finally, half an hour later Kakashi deigned to show up in his usual manner of a puff of grey smoke.

"Good morning, my cute students."

"Kakashi-sensei, _you're late again_!" Naruto groaned.

" _Well_ , I would have been on time, but this little old lady needed help getting to her grandson's house, and being the chivalrous nin I am, I had to escort her there."

"You're full of it!" Naruto huffed.

Kakashi just hummed innocently, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"It seems that I'mnot the only one to arrive late today though…" their sensei stated, with a side-eyed look at her.

Sakura cocked her head and considered her sensei. What were the chances that the man had never been _truly_ late at all? That all along he had simply been masking his chakra and watching the three of them? It was something she was inclined to disbelieve giving the lazy nature of the nin, and _yet_ it was something that Sakura could also see him doing…

" _How_ did you _know_ Sakura-chan was late?" Naruto asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

"I have eyes _everywhere_ ," Kakashi whispered, and Naruto gave a thoroughly horrified look at his mask.

Sakura snorted. He probably had his nin dogs trailing them…

"I apologize sensei. I overslept."

Kakashi offered a lazy eyed glance, but Sakura could see his careful consideration beneath the laidback guise. "That's okay Sakura-chan. As long as you make it up by doing twenty laps around the village once you are fully recovered."

Naruto shouted in outrage on her behalf, but Sakura simply nodded her head in acceptance.

"Alright, lets head to the training ground and start with some warm up crunches. I'd say, about, hm … five hundred will do…"

Sakura internally winced at the thought and then externally winced as Sasuke slide off the railing and brushed passed her, intentionally bumping himself against her injured side.

"How dare you teme! You should apologize right _now_ …" Naruto shouted, running after the dark haired boy.

Kakashi lifted his brow at her, a silent demand for an explanation of Sasuke's odd behavior.

Sakura decided to fake ignorance though, and simply shrugged in response. She didn't need him poking around her affairs any more than he already was.

But throughout the entire training session little incident like that kept happening. Sasuke would bump into her, or miss while practicing his aim, sending an assortment of weapons a little _too_ close to her neck for comfort.

And after each time, Naruto would retaliate on her behalf in a much less subtle way by either tackling Sasuke or throwing whatever was in his hand at the boy's head.

These annoying incidents, coupled with the intense training had Sakura's entire body throbbing in pain. Her wounded side felt itchy and irritated, and her bandage was soaked through with sweat.

By the time their training session was finished night had long since fallen and Sakura was tempted to collapse on the training grounds and spend the night passed out there. She felt so exhausted that the prospect of walking home- where Grandmother Satomi currently was, was thoroughly unappealing.

"Now before you three go, I have to tell you that our training session for tomorrow is cancelled," Kakashi-sensei announced. "As I'm sure you are aware, tomorrow is the Spring Festival, and I have a solo mission due to it. I still hope you will do a little training. We will meet again at our usual time the day after the festival."

Sakura slumped further into the ground and was tempted to scream. Not only would Grandmother Satomi be waiting for her at home, but the rest of her extended family probably would be too. Uncle Akio, Aunts Kaori and Ran, even her cousin Takumi would probably be there…

"Are you excited for the festival?" Naruto asked, a bright grin pulling at his whiskered cheeks.

Sakura grimaced, "No."

Both Sasuke and Naruto stared at her in surprise as they left the training grounds.

"No! _But_ Sakura-chan, festivals are so much fun! There are all sorts of games and prizes! And the food…" a dreamy look crossed his face.

"I'm not very fond of large crowds," Sakura diplomatically answered. The crowd currently residing in her house to be specific…

"Oh, well maybe we can meet up at the festival, and that will make it better." A light flush rose on Naruto's cheeks.

"Maybe," Sakura agreed, knowing her family would never allow it. But than again, with the way her mother was standing up to them, perhaps she could flout their rules as well…

She carried this hopeful thought with her the entire way home. As she approached the door she sensed the various different chakras humming directly on the other side of it. Her face fell- apparently they were all congregated in the living room. She idly wondered if her grandmother had been sitting there all day.

Bracing herself for whatever the Harunos would throw at her, Sakura opened the door, and meet the dark glares with an unperturbed look.

Her nonchalance almost faltered when she made it all the way across the room without a single comment being made. Her aunt's upturned nose was the only direct slight made against her.

The stony silence seemed to echo as she trudged her tired feet upstairs. But her mind felt wide- awake. They _had_ to be plotting something. And the hushed whispers that picked up the second Sakura's head disappeared from her sight only confirmed her theory.

She rested her head on her pillow, but her eyes remained wide open. Every time that her lids drooped shut, they would fly open again, a new and more horrifying scenario of what the Harunos would do to her and her mother flashing through her brain.

Sleep was a luxury that she wasn't sure she could afford if it meant waking up to one of the kitchen knives slitting your throat…

Somehow she managed to make it through the night unscathed though. But it was a fitful sleep. Every creak of a floorboard, or hushed sigh would have her body jolting to action.

When Sakura finally managed to drag herself out of bed, the sun was high in the sky and most of her family had migrated from the living room to the dining room for breakfast. Sakura bypassed that room all together, and headed straight into the garden. It had been ages since she had properly practiced some yoga or meditated. Misa-sensei would be so disappointed.

She meandered through the bamboo until she reached her usual spot by the koi pond.

Inhaling deeply, Sakura stretched and manipulated her body into her first pose. After a moment, a door inside slammed shut- her eye twitched… Sighing, she moved into standing bow pose, trying to find an inner harmony to keep her balance. The sound of a plates being moved caused her footing to falter…

Green eyes cast a dark look towards the dining room. And Sakura was only slightly startled to see various sets of dark eyes peering back at her. But once they realized that they had caught her attention, her aunts and cousins immediately looked away. Her stomach clenched as she sat down and maneuvered into camel pose. But her uncle's booming voice made her flop down to her stomach…

This was _useless_.

And even _attempting_ to meditate would be pointless as well. Her family was even more distracting than Naruto on a sugar high. Especially when she was half convinced that one of them would rush out of the house, ready to club her to death.

If she hadn't trained as much as she had, and if she weren't absolutely sure that her mother had a spine of steel under her meek demeanor, she would be truly alarmed at the sly way her extended family members were acting.

Thankfully, by lunchtime most of her relatives had left for the market. No doubt to buy more trinkets for their festival attire and to flaunt their collective wealth. She half hoped that they would get pick pocketed.

Taking advantage of their absence, Sakura enjoyed some sweet tea in the kitchen before returning to her room to study the newest scroll she had discovered about ice jutsus. The information was fascinating.

Every nin that had an elemental affinity, developed it based on their inner personality. Some clans, like the Uchiha were particularly inclined towards a certain affinity, and thus had developed their own secret jutsus based on it. It both intrigued and bit at her pride that her inner personality was apparently as icy as the frost the elemental paper had produced when she touched it.

But as intriguing as the book was, as secretive as the Harunos were being, and even as sore as her aching side was, Sakura's mind was never far from her mother's revelation.

Her _bloodlimit_.

The seemingly harmless cluster of chakra that was thrumming with vitality at the base of her throat. The chakra that when properly manipulated could enchant people, bending them to her will…

It sounded frightening…

It sounded _intoxicating_.

Sakura had never thought herself to be one easily lured by power. She knew that the world was run by it, and those with the most power were in charge. But she had never truly desired to be sitting in that place of power. Titles like Daimyo or Hokage had never been ones she coveted.

But being placed on Team Seven and recognizing the power within her two teammates- especially when it surpassed her own, harvested a dark and deep-seated envy within her. She didn't want to fall behind and end up on the sidelines as Naruto and Sasuke got stronger and stronger…

And then to learn that she had this strange, and wonderful, and dangerous bloodlimit that she was forbidden from telling anyone about… it was both fascinating and frustrating. Sakura's personality would never allow her to peacock her peculiar powers like others would be inclined to- but she longed to test them out all the same…

"Flower?"

Sakura's eyes shot to the door, startled at her mother's entrance.

"Yes?"

"It's time to get ready for the festival. Take a quick shower, and then I will help get you dressed."

She nodded and slipped into the hallway, unsurprised to see Aunt Kaori standing just outside her door. Normally the stern woman would present Sakura her kimono with a snide remark about how the precious silk was being wasted on her unworthy hide. Sakura hovered at the bathroom door for a minute, half expecting _something_ , but the woman just pursed her thin lips.

Slipping into the shower, she tried to shake off the ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen... Because too many bad things had happened lately, and surely she had dealt with enough?

Body cleansed, but soul still in turmoil, Sakura returned to her room and found her mother straightening out an exquisite silver kimono. Her mother helped her into the garment, making Sakura feel more like a princess than the nin she was.

Once the kimono was on, she perched on her bed, letting her eyes close as her mother ran a brush through her thick pink locks.

"Mother?"

"Yes, Flower?"

"Is Grandmother Satomi plotting something?"

The brush paused in its stroking. Sakura cracked open her eyes, but before the she got the chance to turn around and catch her mother's expression, it was moving again.

"No, darling. I think she is just trying her best to make us feel uncomfortable in our home."

"It's working," Sakura grumbled.

Paranoia at her extended family's uncharacteristic behavior had her on _edge_.

"Just ignore them and don't let it bother you. I had a discussion with your father last night. He doesn't seem concerned, so I wouldn't worry yourself," Mebuki said, voice intentionally carefree.

Sakura bit her lip to refrain from pointing out that her father was definitely on _their_ side. That if a fight broke out, he would surely side with the rest of the Harunos and not the two females that had turned his life into a nightmare…

But her mother looked and seemed happier than she had been for a long while. So she silenced her mistrustful tongue, and let herself enjoy the feeling of her mother's fingers intricately braiding her hair.

She once again closed her eyes when she detected the soft sound of her mother humming as she worked her magic. And once the last braid was secured into place, she observed as her mother donned her own formal kimono.

And despite her mother's earlier words of reassurance, or even her untroubled demeanor, Sakura privately thought that she _must_ have been affected by then tension in the air too. Otherwise she would be changing in the privacy of her own bedroom.

Instead her eyes took in her mother's form as she slipped into vibrant fuchsia silk. She was both proud and intrigued that the brief flashes of her mother's bare skin revealed her own array of scars, in various shapes and sizes. And yet, despite their somewhat gruesome appearance they did nothing to retract from her mother's considerable beauty.

"Help me tie my obi," Mebuki instructed.

"For someone who didn't grow up in a wealthy or noble family, you're very knowledgeable about all of this," Sakura said, gesturing to the elaborate outfit and intricate knot her mother's golden hair was tied in.

"A kunoichi must obtain a variety of skills. You never know when you will find yourself in a situation where they will be useful."

Sakura's mouth tugged into a grimace. That sounded like a line Suzume-sensei would feed them during kunoichi classes.

Her mother had either guessed at her train of thought, or grew curious at her delay, as she turned to face her. Rich blue eyes clashed with vibrant green.

"I know the lessons at the Academy are terribly unfair to the girls, but consider it an advantage. All information is valuable information. The art of learning how to blend into any situation or scenery is invaluable."

And not for the first time, Sakura pondered what sort of life and missions her mother had completed as an infiltration specialist. From the small snippets her mother and older shinobi provided, it all sounded very glamorous and exciting.

"You cannot seriously be telling me that the 'art of flower arranging' is a necessary skill for a nin," Sakura gently argued. Learning how to blend in with nobility was one thing- but learning how to weave a wreathe that confessed eternal devotion was another…

Mebuki straightened the nonexistent wrinkles out of her kimono, "You never know what the future has in store. Cultivate as many skills as possible, no matter how embarrassing or _pointless_ they may seem." She rose to her feet, "we should head downstairs now, or else they will probably send one of your all to eager cousins to fetch us…"

Sakura sighed, but also rose to her feet and followed her mother out of the room and down the stairs. And just like the night before, the chatter in the living room died off the instant her and her mother stepped inside the room.

"Now that we are _all_ here," Grandmother Satomi said, her gaze pointedly fixed in the opposite direction to them, "let us do our best to represent our clan as we enjoy the festivities."

Sakura was half tempted to sneer as she caught the small side- eyed glare her grandmother sent, but when she caught sight of her older cousin Takumi gazing fearfully at her, she allowed her lips to curl into a smirk instead.

It went completely against every rule of shinobi conduct. Nin were supposed to help, support, and protect weaker civilians- _never_ intimidate, or harass them. But Sakura couldn't help the satisfaction that bloomed in her heart at seeing his slightly stricken face… After all the years of being barked at like a dog from him, it was nice to know that he was finally afraid of her _bite_.

But her moment of revel ended all to soon as he quickly joined his mother.

"Do you think I will be able to meet up with my teammates?" Sakura quietly asked her mother, her mind on Naruto's request from the previous day.

"I don't think anyone will try and stop you," her mother answered, eyes also on the figure of her older cousin. A distinctly sly grin that was so completely foreign sat on her mother's lips as she uttered this.

Sakura smiled, and practically skipped as she followed behind the Haruno's to the main road.

Her relatives all walked in nearly single file lines, their backs straight, heads held high, and hands stiff by their sides. The only reason Sakura mirrored their posture was because it had been drilled into her since she was able to walk.

But even though everything about her gait reflected her Haruno upbringing, her and her mother still stuck out like sore thumbs at the back of the group. It was a sea of rich red kimonos, and dark heads, with two contrasting colors at the back. Sakura could only feel grateful.

The smell of the various vendors' festival foods was tantalizing as the neared the city centre. With every step closer, Sakura's senses became equally more delighted and wary at the vibrant sights and sounds. The mass amounts of people, the games, and the colorful banners made her heart pick up in excitement, especially know that she knew she was allowed to enjoy it. But at the same time, she recognized that this was the perfect setting for an attack.

As per the Haruno's usual custom, they made their way to the edge of the festival's main square. Sakura knew that her grandmother did this for dramatic affect- so everyone could see them coming and be in awe of their fancy silk outfits and obvious wealth.

And as per usual, Sakura ignored the feeling of being gawked at like a particularly rare and exotic creature as the crowds parted to let her haughty grandmother through. At the centre of the crowd the Hokage stood, greeting people. And Sakura knew that her grandmother would approach him, offer him the barest of nods and wait for him to acknowledge her- as if she was some sort of deity that was granting him a favor by standing before him.

After this bizarre tradition was done, the Harunos would network the crowd and make small talk with other wealthy families who they could barely tolerate. Sakura wondered if it would be appropriate to leave them already. And then her lips curved as she remembered that it didn't really matter.

Her green eyes scanned through the crowds of civilians as her grandmother approached the Hokage. But her eyes paused as they landed on a familiar figure that was staring right back at her.

 _Sasuke_.

Amongst the crowd of civilian children with their bright outfits and sunny faces, he stood out like a sore thumb.

Sakura debated on whether or not to approach him, seeing as he had still been holding onto his grudge yesterday. But a grumpy Sasuke was still better company than the Haruno clan.

"I'm going to join my teammate," she quietly informed her mother.

Mebuki nodded and Sakura saw her eyes grow slightly sad as they took in the lone Uchiha.

Uttering a quiet 'thank you' to her mom, Sakura slipped through the sea of people until she was facing her teammate.

Sasuke didn't smile at her (which was to be expected), but he didn't scowl either. And Sakura got the distinct feeling that her teammate was feeling slightly down. After all festival days were usually about family, and he no longer had any.

"You aren't going to stay with your clan?" Sasuke finally asked, his eyes focused on her mother.

Sakura fought to keep her expression neutral. "No. They don't mind me leaving anyhow."

His dark eyes discretely scanned her, and Sakura remained silent, letting him observe. He would find nothing noteworthy.

"Hn. You don't have a clan symbol on your kimono."

She had never been allowed to wear one. But thankfully her excuse was an easy one, "The silk speaks for itself."

Sasuke remained silent and Sakura inwardly sighed. He may be a huge pain in the ass, but she didn't want him feeling miserable.

"Lets go get something to eat," she said before tugging on the sleeve of his dark haori. She wasn't giving him any chance to say no.

Sasuke grunted, but that was as far as his protesting went.

"Do you want sweets? Or tempura, or maybe-"

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!"

Sakura's head whipped around at the very familiar voice.

Naruto was pushing his way through the crowd, his orange jumpsuit still managing to stand out despite the colorful atmosphere.

"I'm glad I found you! I'm starving, lets go get Ichirakus."

Sasuke sighed, but Sakura was relieved to note that his face had morphed back into its normal pinched expression once he was facing the blonde.

"Ramen again _dobe_?"

"There is no such thing as too much ramen," Naruto insisted, as he lead the way to the noodle stand.

"Forget to change into formal wear?" Sasuke snarked.

Naruto's whiskered cheeks flushed, but he kept quiet and lead them to three empty stools. Sakura strongly suspected that the only reason Naruto wasn't wearing the formal version of his orange jumpsuit was due to lack of funds. So she kept her mouth shut.

"I can buy your bowl Sakura-chan," Naruto offered, his flush growing even deeper.

Sasuke scoffed from the other side of her.

"Thank you, but that's not necessary. My parents gave me some pocket money," Sakura instantly replied. They hadn't, but Sakura figured it was a safer bet to pay for herself.

Naruto's shoulders drooped from a moment, but he instantly perked up when he placed his order with Ayame.

"How long do you think Kaka-sensei is going to keep us in Konoha?" Naruto asked as the first of many bowls was placed in front of him.

"Not too long if you continue pestering the Hokage," Sasuke replied.

Sakura smirked as she tucked into her own bowl. For someone as universally hated as Naruto, the Hokage seemed to have a particular soft spot for the troublemaker. Maybe their missions wouldn't be delayed for too long after all…

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Yes?" she asked, not so subtly sliding a napkin over.

He ignored it, and his blue eyes focused on her, "How come you wear a different colored kimono ever year? Don't most clans usually stick with the same color?"

Sakura's eyes widened, slightly surprised that Naruto would have noticed. "My family makes a large portion of their profits selling their silks to specialty dress makers. It's essentially free advertising if we showcase the different dyed silks through out own kimonos."

"Oh… well you look really pretty," Naruto said, face flushed again.

But before Sakura could utter an uncomfortable thank you, another voice from behind them piped up.

"N-Nar-Naruto-kun, its ni-nice to see you."

Sakura turned her head to see Hinata, dressed in a lovely lilac kimono staring at Naruto, her face pale.

"Oh, hey Hinata-chan, how're you?" Naruto asked, oblivious to the way the young girl started hyperventilating.

"I- I- I'm good," Hinata stuttered.

Naruto simply smiled, and refocused on his fourth bowl of ramen.

Hinata's smile fell a bit, before she turned her attention to her to Sakura. "How are you Sakura-chan?"

Sakura offered the other girl a small grin. She had always had a soft spot for the shy girl. "I'm good Hinata-chan. How are things in Team Eight?"

"Oh, th-things are-"

"Hinata," a stern voice called.

The four of them watched as a tall man with dark hair, and the same pale eyes moved towards Hinata. He paused when he reached them, and scanned each of their faces with his somewhat eerie eyes.

The man offered a slight bow towards Sasuke, a nod towards her, and flat out sneered at Naruto. "Come Hinata, we must be going."

"O-oh, okay, goodby-" but the girl was tugged away by the man before she finished her farewells.

Sakura glanced at Naruto to see his fists clenched so hard that the skin was strained white over the bone. Her brows pinched- she knew Naruto had a bad reputation as a troublemaker, but people were entirely _too_ harsh on him. He was just an orphan after all, and what better ways were there to get attention than cause trouble? Surely they could see that…

The rest of lunch was considerably quieter, but Naruto perked up once again when Sakura offered to buy them dango. Sasuke practically sneered at the sweet treats once they arrived, and Sakura didn't bother to hide her eye roll.

The three of them walked through the festival grounds, her and Naruto munching on their sweets.

Small children were running through the sea of adults, their high-pitched giggles echoing through the air. Young couples held hands and shared food in slightly obnoxious displays. And then there were people that hailed from obviously wealthy or important clans- civilian and shinobi alike. They held themselves with an air of great importance as they strutted around the festival.

As they neared a vendor's cart with a ring toss game, Naruto raced over.

"Lets play!" he insisted, eyes bright.

Sakura hesitated. She had already used up all of the money she had brought with her.

Sasuke didn't bother to hide his sneer, "No way _dobe_. That games is for children, it's so pathetically easy."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "I bet you can't beat me teme!"

Sakura let out a long sigh as Sasuke immediately stiffened and glared at the blonde.

"Stupid dobe," he muttered under his breathe, before shoving coins at the vendor.

Sakura watched with mild interest for the first two rounds, but by the fifth one she was bored out of her mind. She was one hundred percent sure that neither of them would notice if she simply left. There were some interesting looking book carts that she wanted to look at, even if she couldn't buy anything…

"There you are mongrel!" and all too familiar voice called.

Sakura slowly turned around, anxiety clawing its way up her throat as she noticed Sasuke and Naruto had both also turned around to see the elderly woman wrapped in a beautiful silk kimono storm towards her.

"Its time to leave! How dare you make us-" Grandmother Satomi started, but her very public rant was cut off by her father rushing over.

" _Mother_ , Sakura, there you are! Its getting late, we should retire home now," her father hurriedly said.

Sakura instantly nodded, but her grandmother simply narrowed her eyes at her father before stomping off.

And before she followed suit in a much calmer manner, Sakura chanced a glance at her teammates, praying that by some slim chance they _hadn't_ managed to hear the woman's less than polite words. Dread pooled at the bottom of her stomach though when she noticed Naruto gaping at the spot where her had grandmother stood. He looked purely astounded. Sasuke's eyes on the other hand were focused on her. The dark orbs were unreadable, and that was _dangerous_.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she softly said before following her father out of the festival grounds.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know things may seem a bit slow, but many things need to be set up before bigger things come into motion.**

 **A reader asked how long do I intend this story to be… The short answer is I don't know. The long answer is I have a grand story outline and then chapter outlines. Sometimes certain aspects of my outline take longer than expected, so I have to split them. I still have quite a few major things set to happen before Part 2 of the trilogy : )**

 **Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. I truly appreciate your comments and feedback! And please continue to do so!**

 **-Nyx**


	21. Chrysalis Cracked

**Chapter 20: Chrysalis Cracked**

" _Everything has changed_

 _and yet,_

 _I am more me_

 _than I've ever been."_

 _-Iain Thomas_

"Just inhale deeply, and try not to tense your muscles," the nurse's artificially soft voice instructed.

Sakura grit her teeth, and had to count to three in her head before she could even contemplate unclenching the tight shell her body had become. The nurse had made her remove her shirt after all. And even for someone who didn't avoid touch, the situation would be uncomfortable enough.

Reluctantly, she inhaled and uncoiled her tense posture. Goosebumps crept across her skin, as if trying to add more protection. And the sight of the unfamiliar woman nearing her vulnerable flesh, especially wielding a pair of scissors nearly had her tensing up again.

So Sakura did the unthinkable, and closed her eyes at she felt the scissors snip the first stitch on her side.

It went against every instinct and rule that both her training and experience taught her. Because even nurses could be enemies in disguise- and closing your eyes when a stranger was manipulating your body was _never_ a good idea. But it was also the only way she was going to get through this little procedure without her nerves crawling their way out of her skull.

And while the process was not painful, the sound of the scissors snipping the thread from her body felt unpleasantly loud. The noise, coupled with the nauseating smell that seemingly permeated every hospital, _and_ her lack of sleep, had Sakura's anxiety reeling.

"All done Sakura-chan," the nurse said. She offered Sakura a large grin, while she smeared a thick paste on the scar, "You did very well."

Sakura was tempted to scoff at the woman. Partly because the woman knew she was a nin, and was still treating her like a little civilian girl. And partly because she was also sure that she had _not_ done very well.

Her body remained stiff as a stone, until the woman finished wrapping a small bandage over the puckered skin.

"Thank you for your help," Sakura said, sliding off the cold examination table.

And before the woman could utter another word, she was out the door and down the hall.

While it was true that most nin avoided hospitals- their pride and paranoia overcoming whatever painful ailment they were in, Sakura loathed them for a different reason…

Both of her parents had instructed her from a very young age to never enter a hospital. No matter how serious her potential injury or illness, she was _never_ to come here. And now that she knew the truth about her parentage, their reasoning made sense. If anything, the feelings of paranoia were heightened around the hospital's sterile white walls.

Sakura's pace hastened as she spotted the glass doors leading to the streets. But at the sight of the familiar little creature standing on the other side of them, Sakura paused in her tracks.

Fear skittered down her spine- had Sasuke and Naruto _told_?

The little pug cocked its head at her from outside the door.

Had her two teammates gone to Kakashi-sensei and relayed to him what her grandmother had hissed at her at the festival? What grandmother Satomi had called her…

 _Mongrel_.

The infernal moniker that had confused, saddened, and recently infuriated her. The one that had haunted her for her entire life…

The one that her teammates had _heard_ being directed towards her.

Sakura hadn't deigned to worry about this unfortunate incident too much at first. After all, Naruto was hardly one for putting two and two together. And although Sasuke had a surprisingly nosey side to him, she doubted he would question her about her clan elder.

…But then again, Naruto was no stranger to insults. He would without a doubt recognized her grandmother's unfriendly tone, and hateful words. And Sasuke, though much more subtle, was much more likely to actually investigate _why_ her grandmother had uttered such a term.

Biting her lip, she watched as the pug huffed before scratching his ear. Her feet slowly moved forward again. There was no point staying in the hospital, even if the dog wasn't allowed in, Kakashi-sensei was, and he was obviously searching for her if he sent one of the pack out.

" _Finally_ ," the small dog grunted as she stepped through the door. "I thought my nose was going to dry up if I had to stand by this infernal place any longer."

"Sorry…?"

The dog made a distinctly disgruntled snuffing noise. "Boss wants me to tell you that you are to head to the Hokage Tower."

Her breath caught in her throat, while her heartbeat decided to pick up the pace frantically. Sakura's feet stayed rooted to the ground as she stared at the little dog in horror.

Pakkun cocked his head.

Sakura closed her eyes and inhaled deeply for a moment. When she opened them, Pakkun was already trotting across the street in the direction of the Hokage Tower. Ice cold fear scuttled down her spine, as she reluctantly moved her feet to follow. After all, if she didn't show up, she doubted the next person they sent would be a dog…

"Did Kakashi-sensei say why he wanted to meet at the Hokage Tower?" Sakura asked the pug, already mentally preparing herself for his answer.

Pakkun's head turned and he studied her with large, watery eyes, "You're a skittish one, aren't you? Like a cat…"

The statement was so bizarre that she momentarily forgot her fear. "A _cat_?"

The dog nodded, "You're hesitant and curious. Boss didn't tell me why exactly I needed to fetch you."

The paranoia returned in double fold. It _had_ to be something terrible or confidential- or _both_ if he wouldn't even tell one of the pack.

Pakkun stopped at the foot of the stairs to Hokage Tower. "Alright, in you go. I have an appointment with Inzuka-san."

The toe of Sakura's boot hovered over the first step. Her eyes caught the ones of a nearby guard. Kami- _this could be it_ … The secret blown… A secret that she hadn't even been able to keep for a week- even if it was her insipid grandmother's fault.

But if this was how things were going to end, than she was going to do it with dignity. She wouldn't bow her head in shame for her mother's ordered actions. Straightening her spine, Sakura marched up the stairs and through the hallway to the Hokage's office.

With each step she felt her confidence wanting to falter, but her face remained stubbornly stony. But she couldn't quite help the tremble that raced down her spine as her knuckles reached out and rapped on the heavy wooden door.

Her heart felt like it was going to explode once the door swung open, revealing not only Kakashi-sensei and the Hokage, but the rest of Team Seven too. Her gut clenched as she considered what they had probably spoken about.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, there you are! You're not usually this much of a slowpoke," Kakashi said in his usual lazy drawl.

Sakura's green eyes nervously darted between him and the aged figure of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was puffing on his pipe.

"We were just discussing possible missions," Kakashi continued, lone eye studying her.

Sakura's heart stuttered, as relief overtook her system. Her whole body felt like slumping down in a pile of exhausted happiness.

"Yeah! So, like I was saying Gramps, we are totally awesome, butt-kicking shinobi- we _deserve_ a higher ranking mission!" Naruto all but demanded.

Sarutobi just raised a bushy eyebrow in a distinctly unimpressed display before setting his pipe down.

"You're team has been the victim of not only one, but two attacks by S-ranked missing nin Naruto. All of the C-ranked missions currently take place outside of Konoha. I don't think it would be very wise to have you leave the safety of the village under these circumstances," the Hokage's low and steady voice declared.

"But Gramps, we are sick of cleaning up garbage! We will be much more valuable to the village in a higher ranked mission!"

"Naruto is right," Sasuke quietly declared- and by the slightly pinched look on his face, it was a difficult statement to make.

"Damn right I am!" Naruto's whiskered face resolutely nodded, before he fully comprehended exactly who his ally was in the conversation. His blue eyes widened as he whirled around of gape at Sasuke.

The Uchiha ignored him, and stared directly at the Hokage. "We are past the point of learning anything useful from D-ranked missions. Our teamwork is solid, and we would have Kakashi to look out for us. We are more useful to the village on a C-ranked mission."

"And what does the kunoichi of your team think about all this?" the Hokage's deep voice rumbled, as his warm eyes settled on her.

Sakura felt like flinching away from their intelligent depths, but knew better than to advertise her discomfort. Instead, she pondered his question for a minute.

Sasuke's statement 'our teamwork is solid' was utter bull considering how much he and Naruto fought, and how much she was hiding from her team. But… another mission right now would potentially distract her mind from all of the chaotic thoughts swirling around in it. Not to mention, this mission would take her out of the village and away from her family. And Sakura would rather have another showdown with Kita Mirai and the creepy grey haired nin, than have to put up with grandmother Satomi anymore.

She pasted a sweet smile on her face. "I agree with my teammates. We will never further our skill sets if our learning is being stunted."

Sarutobi's lips twitched for a moment, as if he was trying to hold back a grin. He sighed deeply- the kind of sigh that only the truly weary can emit, before his eyes traced each person in the room.

"Alright-"

"-YES!" Naruto whooped, his fist punching the air.

The Hokage rolled his eyes and Sakura had the distinct impression that this type of interaction happened often between the two.

"I have a mission to the land of Waves. The client is actually on his way here now. It's a simple escort mission that shouldn't cause you too much trouble," the Hokage explained.

Naruto's eyes widened dramatically, "An escort mission! Who are we escorting? A prince, a medic, a rich merchant?"

The heavy oak door banged open just as the last word rolled off Naruto's excited tongue.

A tall man with short grey hair, and small spectacles that were hanging crookedly off his nose stepped into the room. And along with the man came the heavy scent of liquor.

Sakura wrinkled her nose as she took in the sight of the obviously drunk man.

"Look here Hokage- I can't wait any longer. I need to get back to Wave. Where's my escort?" the man demanded.

"Ah, Tazuna-san," Sarutobi said with an infinite amount of patience tempering his voice, especially considering how rude the man was being. "Your escort is actually standing right in front of you. Meet Team Seven."

Sakura let her lips curl down unpleasantly as she took in the sight of their drunken client, who was in turn observing them with a sneer on his intoxicated face. He seemed just as unimpressed as they did- which was ridiculous…

"These little _runts_ are my escorts?" Tazuna scoffed.

Sakura sighed in defeat as she could practically _hear_ the outrage simmering under Naruto's skin.

" _Hey_ , who are you calling runt, you old fart!" Naruto practically growled, his blonde brows drawn together.

"I want _real_ shinobi escorts Sarutobi, not a bunch of kids and their babysitter," Tazuna demanded, wobbling on his feet a bit.

This time, it was Sasuke who spoke up, "We _are_ real shinobi, and if you don't accept our services, than I guess you're walking home alone."

Sakura stared at her dark haired teammate in slight shock. Sasuke wasn't usually one to let other people's opinions bother him, or to speak up against them… But Sasuke was a bit of a prideful peacock, so she shouldn't be too surprised.

Tazuna on the other hand was surprised. His rosy cheeks were sagged down with his gaping mouth, as he stared at the Uchiha.

Kakashi-sensei stepped forward, placing each of his hands on Sasuke and Naruto's shoulders. No doubt to silently tell them to shut up. And considering that Tazuna was their ticket to leaving the village, Sakura was inclined to agree with him. She didn't want to get fired before even leaving the Hokage's office.

"I assure you Tazuna-san that despite Team Seven's young appearance, and outspoken ways," Kakashi said this with a pointed glance at Naruto, "they are quite capable shinobi."

Tazuna grunted, "Fine. We leave tomorrow morning at sunrise." He turned and lumbered out the door.

Naruto snorted loudly when the closed behind him. "What an assh-"

"-Well I can already tell that your team won't be sent on any diplomacy missions Kakashi," Sarutobi said.

Kakashi's mask twitched, and Sakura would have thought the Hokage was berating him, if not for the amused glint in his eyes.

"I don't know Hokage-sama. I think Sakura-chan is diplomatic enough for the both of them."

Sakura caught her sensei's lone eye, and wondered if that was a compliment or not. Especially since Kakashi knew about her manipulative side.

"Alright Team Seven, you heard our client, we will meet him at the gates at five a.m. Just like our last mission out of the village, you will need to pack extra supplies, and a few extra weapons. Make sure you pack wisely," Kakashi said with a pointed look at Naruto.

"Good luck and represent our village well," the Hokage said, before dismissing them.

Sakura exhaled, and felt even more relieved as she stepped outside of Hokage Tower, the sunlight was warm on her face. She was _safe_ , the secret was safe, and she was leaving the village and her horrid extended family behind. Things were looking up.

"Hey Sakura-chan, do you want to get Ichiraku's for lunch?"

Sakura looked over at Naruto with a bright smile on her face. Naruto looked slightly stunned at her uncharacteristic behaviour.

"Ramen sounds wonderful!"

Sasuke too looked a bit started at her cheerful demeanor and easy acceptance of Naruto's lunch date.

"We should celebrate our first C-ranked mission after all," Naruto continued, matching her quick stride toward the noodle stand.

Sasuke trailed behind the two, stony and silent, though Sakura knew that he too was pleased with the outcome of the Hokage's meeting.

When they reached Ichiraku's Sakura's eyes widened. An elderly man in his pajamas was sitting on one of the stools, slurping up noodles, while Ayame nervously watched.

Naruto blatantly stared as they each grabbed some stools further away from the man. Ayame quickly made her way over to them.

"Is everything okay?" Sakura quietly questioned the girl.

"Yeah, what's with that weirdo?" Naruto loudly asked.

Sasuke shook his head as Ayame nervously looked at the man.

"That's Ando-san. He's harmless, but his mind is starting to fade a bit," Ayame delicately said. "He shows up here a couple times a week before his daughter comes to get him. He's a nice man, but bad for business. Anyways, what can I get you?"

The three placed their order and chatted about the upcoming mission as they waited. And just as their ramen arrived, a flustered looking middle aged woman showed up."

"Dad, it's time to go home now," the woman quietly said, tugging on Ando's arm. Her face was bright red as she glanced over at Team Seven.

"Oh, I suppose my lunch break is over. I should head back to the field," Ando said as he rose off his stool.

"No dad, you don't work in the field anymore. Let's just go home."

"I don't?" Ando questioned as he was led off by his daughter.

Sakura watched with sympathy. Perhaps it was a bit unkind, but she hoped she would never end up like that man one day. She would much rather go down on the field than succumb to her own mind deteriorating.

And after witnessing the man's little display, the excited chatter of their C-ranked mission died down a little bit, until the three bid their farewells for the night.

Sakura dragged her feet slightly as she made her way home, knowing the unpleasantness that was waiting for her. Her extended family was still occupying her house, with seemingly no end date to their visit. It was something that made Sakura feel both antsy and annoyed. Because their secretive looks, and constant whispering made it alarmingly clear that they were up to something.

The shinobi in her demanded to know what. The mistreated youth in her didn't particularly care. None of them were a match for her anyhow. And though it was forbidden for a nin to attack a civilian, Sakura was practically itching for an excuse to punch someone- especially after her grandmother's horrid display in front of her teammates at the festival.

But thankfully when Sakura made it home, the Haruno's were all congregated in the backyard, enjoying the warm spring air. Sakura could only be thankful as she slipped up the stairs and into her room unnoticed.

She quickly got to work packing her bags for the early morning, and read through another scroll on ice jutsus before crawling into her bed. It was still a bit light out, and the jovial voices of the party outside were loud, but her earlier bouts of paranoid fear seemed to have exhausted her. It didn't take too long for her green eyes to shut, and her mind to drift off.

 _She was perched on craggy rock on the coast of the sea, and despite the ocean's angry waves, she felt nothing but content. The cold salt- water lapped at her bare legs, and she laughed freely at the feeling._

 _Another voice joined in her laughter._

 _She turned to see another girl, younger than herself with rich red hair, and brilliant green eyes also playing in the ocean._

 _Sunlight warmed her back, and she let a large smile stretch across her cheeks._

 _"Be careful Hisana," her voice reminded the laughing child._

 _She shut her eyes, letting the sun kiss her face, and lull her senses into a dreamlike state. Time passed slowly as she enjoyed the coolness of the ocean and hotness of the sun._

 _Until something felt amiss… her smile slipped off her face… green eyes slowly opened…_

 _The girl's laughter had stopped._

 _She wrenched herself up off the rock and noticed a man holding Hisana. Her mouth was covered, and a kunai was biting at her jugular._

 _NO! Not Hisana- not her sister!_

 _"Tell me where the scroll is, or the girl dies," the man snarled._

 _She felt boiling rage rapidly heat her veins; fire practically igniting the chakra in her throat._

 _"_ _Kill yourself_ _," she hissed, and the man removed the kunai from Hisana's neck before slitting his own throat._

Sakura wrenched her eyes opened, and immediately felt the sweat drenching her form. She exhaled shakily before slipping out of her bed and going across the hall into the bathroom. Turning the shower on, she stepped in and let freezing water both cool her body and sharpen her mind.

Something about that dream was… _different_.

It didn't feel like a dream, but rather a memory, which was ridiculous because it _couldn't_ be her memory. And to be dreaming about someone else's memories just seemed outside the realm of possibility.

Reaching for the soap, Sakura lathered up her body, wanting to remove all the dried sweat that was making her skin itchy. But when she reached her thighs she was startled to notice the blood coating them.

Realistically she knew what this was. She knew that this was a natural cycle of her body. But knowing about menstruation and seeing the trail of scarlet did not make it any less jarring.

Swallowing her panic, and the impulse to shout for her mother, which would wake the whole house up, Sakura quickly cleaned her inner thighs and shut off the water. Grabbing a towel, she quickly wrapped it around herself, before routing through the cupboards in search of her mother's feminine things.

Embarrassing as it was to have to read the instructions on the tampon box, Sakura could only be glad that they came with them and she _didn't_ have to wake her mother.

Quickly dressing in some black nin pants and a black shirt, Sakura shoved some more tampons into her pack before shouldering it and attaching her whip to her belt before heading downstairs. She scrawled a quick note to her mother before slipping out the door and into the brisk early morning air.

The walk to the village gates was peaceful, with Sakura only catching sight of one other man- a strange looking one in green spandex running by. She allowed the freshness of the oncoming day to relax her somewhat cramped body.

She was only slightly surprised when she reached the gates and Kakashi-sensei was actually already there with their client, who thankfully looked more sober than the day before.

"Ah- good morning Sakura-chan, we are just waiting on Naruto," Kakashi said.

Sakura turned and spotted Sasuke slumped on a nearby bench, sharpening his shuriken.

"I'M NOT LATE SENSEI," Naruto's booming voice declared, as he ran towards them, startling some birds from their trees.

"You're not quiet either," Tazuna grumbled under his breath.

"Alright Team Seven, we are going to take standard guard position as we leave the village. Sakura you take the left side, Sasuke, the front, Naruto, the right side, and I'll cover Tazuna-san's back," Kakashi ordered.

Sakura got into her position, waiting for her teammates to do the same, before they left the village.

But this time as they left Konoha's boundaries, Sakura did not let her awe and curiosity distract her. If her last mission had taught her anything, it was not to be distracted. She focused entirely on her surroundings and any potential threats as they marched forward at a much slower pace than usual due to their lumbering client.

And even though Sakura was young, she had experienced alcohol and its affects on people after seeing her father's binges. So it only took the girl about twenty minutes to realize that Tazuna was experiencing a hangover. And in his grumpy and unwell state, he seemed determined to make everyone else feel miserable as well.

" _You_ , a ninja? You barely look like you could handle weeding someone's garden," Tazuna goaded Naruto.

Naruto's lips were twisted in a fierce scowl, and Sakura was almost tempted to laugh, as technically Tazuna wasn't wrong…

Sasuke caught Sakura's eyes and both of their lips twitched into smiles before they refocused on their task. But it was proving to be more and more difficult as Tazuna picked everyone apart. From Naruto being a runt, to Sasuke being a mute, to Sakura being a girly girl. The only person their annoying client hadn't decided to pick on was Kakashi, and that was probably because their sensei's reputation preceded him.

"And I thought Konoha was supposed to be one of the great Shinobi villages," Tazuna scoffed, causing Naruto's temper to boil over, losing whatever subtly they had as they trekked through the forest.

Sakura watched for a moment as Naruto's face turned angry red, as he shouted about how awesome the Hokage was. And in her distraction, she didn't notice her other teammate slip beside her.

"Did you enjoy the festival the other night?"

Sakura turned; surprised that Sasuke left his post, and even more surprised that he was trying to strike up a conversation with her.

She thought over Sasuke's question. For the most part she had immensely enjoyed the festival. Getting to spend it with her teammates instead of her clan had made it her most enjoyable one yet… until the end of the night at least.

"Yes, I had lots of fun. Did you?"

Sasuke nodded in return, his dark eyes once again darted over to her. And Sakura could feel apprehension build within her at the calculating glint in them.

"I hope you didn't get in trouble- your grandmother seemed upset," Sasuke continued, eyes watching her.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. So he _had_ noticed.

"No I didn't get in trouble," she replied, her response almost drowned out by Naruto's outraged argument with Tazuna. She kept her gaze focused on the surroundings, and purposely off of her dark haired teammate.

"Oh that's good," Sasuke said, and Sakura knew without looking that he was still studying her. "She called you something funny though…"

Sakura hummed noncommittally and prayed that Sasuke hadn't actually remembered the word. The world that would cause a whole skew of question she wasn't allowed to answer.

"Mongrel," Sasuke said, the world sounding even harsher coming out of his mouth.

And Sakura couldn't help the way her head snapped over, her green eyes clashing with his midnight ones. She hated the way he was studying her- analyzing her reaction.

Swallowing through her thick throat, cruel, but useful inspiration struck her. "My grandmother is a very elderly lady." Her eyes became steely as they met Sasuke's, "and sadly her mind is slipping a bit. Sometimes she gets confused, sometimes she even gets a little manic..."

Sakura watched, as her teammate seemed to process what she had just told him, knowing that the incident at Ichiraku's would only highlight her believability. And if someone thought her grandmother was going senile or crazy, all the better…

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sasuke said, and Sakura was slightly dismayed to note that his eyes looked just as cautious as her own.

Did he not believe her?

"If something bad _was_ happening though, you would tell us, right?" Sasuke continued, holding her gaze.

Sakura bit her lip, knowing her answer, but not wanting to disappoint her stoic teammate.

A startled cry caused her to whip around though, her kunai at the ready.

Emerald eyes widened in horror as she noticed the chains wrapped around Kakashi. Before she could even process what was happening, two men yanked on either side of the chain, causing their sensei to explode…

 **A/N: Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **I know a lot of you have been waiting a long time for this, and I'm sorry for the wait! Lots of exciting and slightly stressful things are happening in my life right now, so this story had to take the back burner for a bit. I am way to intrigued and invested to every abandon it though. And because it took me such a long time to get writing again, I did a little reread myself to get back on track.**

 **That being said, please remember that writing is a hobby for me, and not my job. I received a lot of downright rude messages making all kinds of demands. I will update when I have time. If you don't like where my story is heading, than don't read it, or write your own!**

 **I know how frustrating it is to be reading a story, and not have it updated for a long while/ever. But please remember that fanfiction writers are under no obligation to update their stories. Frustrating yes, but flooding them with hurtful messages or reviews is not going to inspire them to update.**

 **Anyhow, rant over, and the majority of you were very kind and uplifting. I hope your summer's are going well and look forward to reading your reviews on the chapter!**

 **-Nyx**


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